A Year Abroad
by Red Snowsled
Summary: When the Shikon No Tama is finally whole, Kagome no longer has a reason to return to the feudal age of Japan. So, when she returns home, InuYasha follows her to presentday Japan to protect the Jewel. Supposedly. Chapter 8 is up. Read and review, please.
1. 1 Healing Quickly and Dying Slowly

Disclaimer: I don't own Inuyasha. If I did, I wouldn't be writing fanfiction. Honestly, do you think anyone with a multimillion dollar franchise creation with _action figures_ would spend their free time writing crap posting it on the internet? Me neither. I'd be playing with action figures, too.

Chapter One.

"Inuyasha?" Kagome asked, looking down at the half-human's slowly breathing face. "Inuyasha, wake up. You've been asleep for a week now." She was knelt beside her companion, stroking his silver hair absent-mindedly. Kaede had predicted that he would be asleep for a week, much longer than it had ever taken him to recover.

Inuyasha's eyes remained close for a bit before they laboriously creaked upon, letting the light from the window of the hut seep in.

"Kagome," Inuyasha moaned quietly, not seeing her. "Ka…"

"I'm right here, Inuyasha," replied Kagome quickly, grasping his hand and peering into his face. "I've been here." He strained to sit up, but he was no match for Kagome's pushing him to lie down again.

"No way," said Kagome. "You're not moving from this position until Kaede give the OK."

"Did…Kagome!" Inuyasha gasped, his eyes widening to their full reach. "Did we…Naraku…is…?"

"Naraku has been defeated," said Kagome with a bright smile. "You and Sango have been badly injured, but Miroku healed quickly. He's been tending to her all day."

"And…you?" he asked, his eyes closing again.

"I had a few scratches," said Kagome, bluntly. "I moved my futon in here so I could keep an eye on you."

"Shikon…jewel…" he sighed, letting all the air out of his tense lungs.

"I have it," said Kagome, holding it up, All of the shards had been reunited into the single amulet that Kagome wore on a chain hanging from her neck. "It's complete again." But Inuyasha was sleeping once again and no longer listening. "Baka," she whispered with a smile, and began stroking his hair again, and remembered the battle that seemed as though it had taken place a year ago, even though it had only been seven days.

Naraku had hovered over Inuyasha's fallen, bleeding body, an amusement playing over his lips. He held his baby—the remainder of Akago, his incarnation, the one who had his heart—the barrier was gone. He had won. Kagome's own heart was screaming for her friends, who had all fallen, one by one. Most loudly, every fiber in her body despaired for Inuyasha who did not move on the ground, the Tetsusaiga untransformed in its blunt and powerless state. Kagome had been told by Inuyasha to not move, under any circumstances, until he came again to fetch her. Kagome had witnessed Inuyasha's death and knew she would never move from the spot again if she did not do something. She had one arrow left; she had spent the others on weaker youkai, the forerunners of Naraku's final appearance. She drained all of her energy, anything that might have kept her alive (did she want to live any longer without Inuyasha, anyway?), into the one arrow. It glowed every color of the spectrum until it settled upon white at its peak power. Kagome aimed right for the baby.

_It exploded in two million fragments over the earth. Naraku crashed to the ground out of his hovering position, disbelieving, looking up with utmost hatred for her and for himself for underestimating her. His heart was obliterated, but his body was still intact, a fraction of itself. The wind began to pick up, faster and faster, as though a cyclone were approaching. Naraku's eyes glinted with evil itself and advanced slowly onto Kagome, letting her fear slowly envelop her. Inuyasha had given his life for her—there was no way he could give two. She would die here, at the hands of evil…Naraku would go into hiding once again and recover, never again to be opposed._

_Then there was Kouga. His tornado of speed dissipated as he came to a stop in front of Kagome. In three swift attacks Naraku was gone—Kouga stood victorious over Kagome, his Shikon shards flickering in her special vision just before she fainted._

_She became conscious once again a few days later. She felt warm hands tending to her, soothing her battered body. _

"_Inuyasha," she moaned quietly, hoping it was hands._

"_No, it's Ginta, sister," said a male voice. She knew who he was—he was Kouga's loyal man that referred to her as though she and Kouga were still going to be married._

"_Where is Inuyasha?" asked Kagome, not opening her eyes. If the answer he gave was what she thought it was, she would probably not want to see the world for awhile._

"_They brought him back to that village you all come from."_

"_Is he dead, Ginta?"_

"_Hard to say. Can't remember. Maybe. I didn't get a good look at him, but he was not moving when that giant cat youkai toted him back."_

"_How is Kouga-kun?"_

"_Worried about you, sister. He's off hunting now. He's anxious, so I think he'll bring back a great kill. We'll feast to your recovery tonight. But you can sleep until then." The warm hands went away and Kagome did not to see or hear it, but she felt she was alone where she was._

"_Inuyasha," she murmured before drifting off. _

After half an hour of watching the sleeping Inuyasha, Kagome became bored and left the hut. She ventured over to the temple, where Miroku had set up a bed for Sango to recover in. Sango was lying on her back, still unconscious. She didn't need Kaede to know Sango wouldn't wake up for at least five more days. Her injuries had been near fatal, and if hadn't been for the aged miko's powers, Sango would certainly be dead. Miroku prayed at the shrine, glancing back every moment or so at Sango.

"How is she?" asked Kagome, finally revealing herself. Miroku turned to her but did not leave his kneeling position at the altar.

"Her condition has improved, but her recovery is far from over. I imagine it will be necessary for her to remain in that bed for a month or so before she can walk again."

"That's awful," said Kagome, looking down at her friend with pity. She knelt, parting her' friend's hair over her forehead.

"She is not dead. I will not ask for more from the gods."

"How are you doing?"

"Well," said Miroku. He showed her his bare hand, and Kagome flinched before seeing that the abyss of his Kazaana was gone. Only a pale circle of flesh was visible. "I think this is proof Naraku is gone, though he may have simply hidden his status among the living. Time will tell."

"What will happen when Sango wakes up?" asked Kagome.

"What do you mean?" the monk asked quickly.

"Will you still…you know…get married and everything?" asked Kagome with a slight blush. Miroku studied the dormant Sango's lovely features with a mixture of longing and reserve.

"I do not know. She has unresolved matters with her brother to attend to. Her obligations to her deceased family await her. She may finally give herself the chance to properly grieve for them. She wants to rebuild her village, I am sure of it. I made a promise, but I do not know if it will be carried out."

"What does _that _mean?" asked Kagome, taken aback. "I thought you cared for Sango."

"I do," Miroku agreed slowly. "But our engagement began on the condition that we would defeat Naraku. I wanted my child born so that he might avenge my grandfather, my father and myself in the case that I would be killed by Naraku or the Kazaana. If he is truly gone, none of that matters now."

"It does matter, though," Kagome disagreed, "if you two still love each other."

Miroku's eyebrow gave a strange sort of flicker as a reaction to her statement.

"I mean, it's none of my business," said Kagome. "But you love her, don't you, Miroku?"

"I believe so," said Miroku softly. "It may be an unrequited sentiment, however." Kagome rolled her eyes.

"That's like having Sesshoumaru ask if his dislike for Inuyasha is an 'unrequited sentiment'." Miroku gave her a coy smile.

"Is that your honest opinion, Kagome-sama?"

"Yeah, it is."

"Then may I ask what will happen when Inuyasha awakens?"

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome, nervous herself about the answer.

"Will you continue to stay beside him?"

"I don't know…" sighed Kagome. "Naraku is dead. The Shikon no Tama is whole again…although I don't know what I'm going to do with it. There's really no reason for me to stay in the Feudal Era, is there?" She looked to the pensive monk for a glimmer of hope that there might be a legitimate reason for her to stay here with Inuyasha.

"I suppose not. That is, unless you and Inuyasha intend to remain together for each other's companionship."

"Why would we do that?" asked Kagome, blushing. "He's got Kikyou. And…I have prospects, here and at home." Kagome smiled slightly, thinking of Houjo-kun. She would probably never have the same passion for him as she did Inuyasha, but at least with Houjo, she'd never get hurt. He'd never be a such a jerk and they'd never have anger-filled fights.

Miroku nodded, smiling at her.

"I think I'm going to go back to see Inuyasha. I think he's doing better, actually. He woke up a little while ago, but he's still pretty out of it."

"He does need you, you know," said Miroku, turning back to the altar in prayer.

"What?" asked Kagome with a frown. "Inuyasha is strong. He doesn't need anyone." She left the shrine before she got into an argument with monk.

"_To Victory!" the small wolf den cheered in a circle around the table with a bountiful feast laid in front of them. Their numbers were growing—the remaining, living bachelors of the den had taken mates and a few new little ones tottered around, playing with the wolves. Kagura's and Naraku's wounds to their clan were still healing._

"_To Kagome," said Kouga, wrapping his arm around her. "The slayer of Naraku's heart holds the heart of the one who has slain Naraku!"_

"_To Kagome!" the wolves called, puzzling over what their leader had just said. Kouga paid it no mind and set to eating a rather large piece of wild rat. Kagome picked at it, but she found its rawness to be unappetizing. She found herself wishing she could cook it over a campfire under the stars. Kouga had noticed her standoffishness, but respected her silence until the end of the feast and most of the men had taken to bed with their women. _

"_Kagome, you are sad tonight. What more could you possibly ask than for the death of Naraku?" asked Kouga, picking at his teeth and throwing back his tied hair._

Lots of things,_ Kagome thought._ I could ask that no one would ever attack me or kidnap me again, I could ask that Kikyou go away forever, I could ask that I could live with all of my friends and family and never worry about being a miko or fighting youkai.

"_Kouga, is Inuyasha dead? Did you see?"_

"_Dogface? I didn't. Not that it matters anymore. I have accomplished what I have set out to do and that mutt no longer has to guard you. I will protect you, Kagome. I love you." Kouga pressed her to his bare chest and for once, Kagome was too tired to resist. "Will you rest with me in the den tonight?"_

"_With you?" asked Kagome with surprise._

"_Ah, calm your nerves," chided Kouga with a cocky grin. "We are not mated yet. We must wait until the rites are performed before you start bearing our heirs."_

"_Oh," said Kagome softly, stunned. Kouga led her to the nest where she and Shippou had waited for their rescue when Kouga had first kidnapped them. Kouga stretched out on the ground, staring at the ceiling of the cave. Kagome leaned back uncertainly on the ground next to him. Before long, Kouga had fallen asleep. _

_Kagome could not get to sleep that night. If only Kouga had been Inuyasha…she probably would have fallen asleep before he had. Instead she crept quietly to the entrance to the cave and stared out over the vast and wonderful view of the scenic Feudal Era…there were no buildings, business people or school…how different life was! She let her eyes travel as far as they could see, and she fancied that she could see Kaede's village._

_If Inuyasha was alive or dead, that was where he was. She would leave first thing in the morning. She also needed to somehow coax the shards out of Kouga's possession—the Shikon no Tama had to be made whole again._

When she reentered the hut, Inuyasha's breathing was heavy, and he stirred in his sleep. She lifted his head gently into her lap. He had never been this badly injured before. She swept the bangs gently away from his face, stroking his forehead before her thumb brushed the edge of his furry right ear.

She gently began to stroke the lip of the strange animal ear, tenderly petting in the direction of the grain, teasing the sensitive hairs towards the inside of his ear. He gave a little twitch every time she applied a light finger tip to those particular hairs, so Kagome began to graze them so lightly as to not provoke a reaction.

With a spontaneous whim of curiosity, she bent over his head and lightly touched them to her lips.

"Hmphh…Kagome," Inuyasha moaned, his eye twitching as it was closed.

"I'm here, Inuyasha!" said Kagome quickly, tapping his temples. "Can you wake up?"

He gave no verbal response, but his head turned to the side so that his nose was under her hand. He turned his back to the upward-facing position, her hand still over his nose. He jerked his back, tilting his chin up to the ceiling suddenly. Her hand landed on his ear after being throw.

"Inuyasha…" Kagome sighed, taking up the task of rubbing the ears once again.

"Mmmmm," he murmured. She felt the guttural purr of pleasure that came from the hanyou.

"Baka," she giggled affectionately, stroking in a slow, steady rhythm. She always liked him better asleep, adorable as a sort of teenage mix between a cute boy and a sweet puppy. On the battlefield he might have had the strength and aggression of a hundred warriors, but lying on the mat upon the floor, he was a wonderful birthday present for any girl her age.

But she couldn't keep him forever. He was on loan from Kikyou.

The thought caused her to inadvertently stop rubbing her hanyou's ears. Inuyasha sensed her tension and his eyes cracked open.

"Kagome…?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Inuyasha," Kagome breathed, delighted he was awake.

"Are you okay?" he asked, squinting at her.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Don't worry about me, Inuyasha, concentrate on getting better!"

"You smell like wolf," he sighed with an annoyed twitch.

"Do I?" she asked in surprise. _I smell like a wild animal_?

"Kouga smell," he added, closing his eyes again. "What happened?"

"After Naraku was defeated Kouga took me to his wolf den," said Kagome. "I spent the night there before coming here."

"Spent the night?" asked Inuyasha, his ears twitching in irritation. "You smell like Kouga."

"It's not like we had a tryst, Inuyasha," Kagome sighed, taking up his ear again to reassure him. "We shared the same nest to sleep in, that's all." His head jerked his ears out of her ears.

"Same nest?" he asked in horror, his eyes wide.

"I didn't even sleep most of the night, baka!" Kagome cried angrily. "I stayed up because I was worried about you!"

"Keh," he spat out, but he returned his ears to her hands.

"And it paid off because I got the Sacred Jewel shards from Kouga. The Shikon no Tama is whole again."

_Kagome had returned herself to the nest and pretended to be asleep as the dawn came and Kouga's eyes opened. He rolled over onto his side and propped his head up, giving her a toothy, wolfish grin. _

"_Good morning, Kagome," he yawned. _

"_Hello, Kouga," Kagome said cheerfully. _How am I going to pull this off? _she thought. He lingered for a moment, letting his eyes roam over her before he rose and struck a powerful pose._

"_Stay in the den until I get back," said Kouga. "I'm going to catch some breakfast."_

"_Okay," she agreed. This would give her some time to think of how to approach such an awkward question. He darted off through the opening in the cave and leapt up and out of sight. Kagome sat up and surveyed the cave. Wolf couples were lying in little nooks of bedding, wrapped tightly in each other's embrace. A small pang in her chest reminded her Inuyasha was hurting somewhere. She was always thinking of him. Then she noticed that all of the cubs in the den were placed in the same area toward the back of the cave, the most guarded and safe spot. Little girls and boys with tails were curled up close, sucking on their thumbs, pacified by sleep and the warmth of each other. One by one, the parents plucked their own out of the fold and carried then away, off for the day's business. _This is such a nice system_, Kagome thought. _No one is left out. Do the Inu Youkai raise their young like this too? Did Inuyasha miss out on something like this? _The thought made her sad. Inuyasha had no kinsmen that would avenge him in death or care what happened to him. He had no den to protect him._

Well, that's not entirely true_, thought Kagome. _He has me. He has Miroku and Sango. Shippou too.

_She was startled for a moment when Kouga appeared right in front of her, covered in blood but carrying an animal carcass of some sort. _

"_Cook this, Kagome," he told her, throwing the animal to her feet. "I'm going to wash up."_

"_All right," she agreed, but he was already gone. She started to make a fire in the pit (she cheated, using the lighter she had brought from home) and struggled to skin the animal and put the meat on the rotisserie. _

_Kouga came back clean and without stained fur. He sat down, quickly thanking Kagome before eating the meat immediately. He looked surprised at its good taste, but ate it without a word._

"_Kouga," Kagome started. "I have to go back to my friends."_

"_Why?" asked Kouga, picking his teeth. "Oh yes, I suppose you need to get your things from them to bring back here. Don't worry Kagome, I'll send someone to go get them."_

"_There's something I haven't told you, Kouga," said Kagome nervously, especially with all of the other den members staring at them. "I'm a miko—you know that, right?"_

"_Knew you were something like that," he nodded. _

"_My duties as a miko are unlike any other's," she sighed. "My job is to guard the Shikon no Tama. That's why I can sense jewel shards." She pulled out the near-complete bauble and showed it to him. His eyes widened._

"_Kagome," he gasped in a low voice. _

"_I don't want to ask this of you, and I wouldn't unless I had to," she said. "Kouga, may I have your jewel shards, so the Shikon no Tama can be complete?"_

"_Kagome, you are out of line to believe I would submit to something like that," grumbled Kouga, standing and walking out of cave, daring anyone but Kagome to follow him. The other wolves quickly turned away to their own activities._

"_Kouga, please understand," Kagome pleaded. "Do you know how the Shikon Jewel came into this world after it had been destroyed by its former guardian, Kikyou?"_

"_How?" he asked curiously._

"_It was in my body," said Kagome. "I was born with the Shikon no Tama inside of me. I was the one who broke it, and now it is so close to becoming whole again…would you deny me this, Kouga?"_

_Kouga looked as though he were about to be swayed, but looked down on his legs at the two shards in them._

"_There is so much power in them," he said, kicking the ground and creating a large crack in the stone. "How could I protect you without them?"_

"_Kouga, you are a great youkai leader!" Kagome cried. "You don't need Jewel Shards. There are no threatening mononoke anymore. Naraku has been defeated. Nothing threatens you."_

"_What about Dogface?" asked Kouga after some consideration. "He seems to want to duel me any chance he gets."_

"_Inuyasha doesn't use Jewel Shards," Kagome said quickly. "If you did fight him and you won, then everyone would think you were just hiding behind your shards. But if you could fight him without them, everyone would know EXACTLY who is the greater warrior."_

"_You are right, Kagome," sighed Kouga. "I cannot continue to rely on silly magic to make me strong. I need to train my body to be just as strong without them. I don't know how long it will take. In that time I don't think I can protect you as well, so I will take you back to Dogcrap until then. But I will return and will be stronger than ever. You will be mine, Kagome, and you will be safer with me than you could ever have been with him. Don't worry."_

"_Thank you, Kouga," Kagome gasped. "Thank you!" She had pulled it off! In joy, she hugged the man as he gave her his shards. She fused the shards into the jewel and it glowed brighter than ever. It was whole again, and it glowed with a pleasant pink light._

_Before she could have seen it coming, Kouga kissed her. She was thrown off by the intensity of him and wished for a fraction of an instant she could have returned such passion. However, she pursed her lips, and Kouga back off a little._

"_You are truly magnificent, Kagome," Kouga said with sad resignation after a pause. " I will take you back to your village."_

_They had traveled all morning by the time Kagome reached the well. She saw the sacred tree, Goshinboku, as well, but made no mention of it to Kouga._

"_Good bye, Kouga-kun. I won't forget your generosity." She placed one hand over the Shikon no Tama._

"_You are safe here?" he asked tentatively._

"_Yes," said Kagome. "My friends Miroku and Sango are here. The village miko Kaede protects this place too."_

"_Very well, then. Farewell." He leapt off in his whirring tornado. Kagome did not look back at him as she rushed to the miko's hut. _

Inuyasha's eyes bulged.

"Whole!" he exclaimed, rushing to sit up. "Lemme see!"

"Inuyasha, you have to lie down or else you won't get better," chastised Kagome, but Inuyasha still fought beneath her hands that pushed his shoulders down. "Relax or I will do 'it'."

Inuyasha grumbled, knowing she wasn't lying. He stubbornly lied upon his mat, sticking his chin up to show his haughtiness at her.

"Heal quickly," Kagome sighed. "Heal quickly and I will show it to you. I'll show it to everyone."

"Keh. Fine. Do whatever the hell you want."

"I will!" exclaimed Kagome angrily. "And I would go home right now, except I'm worried about your sorry, ungrateful self."

"Hmph."

"Ugh! You're unteachable _and _shameless." She stalked out of the hut, annoyed out of her mind. Instead she grabbed her bow and quiver to go down to the river for a bath. She wanted the smell of wolf off of her if that was what she smelled like. She grabbed a hotel-grade soap from her backpack and walked off into the woods.

Her clothes were off before she reached the water's edge—cleansing was what she needed. Her skin was bare to the wind, all except for the Shikon Jewel on a chain around her neck. She dove in headfirst and began to scrub.

Miroku's question began to surface in her mind as she came up for air. _Will you continue to stay beside him_?

She had told him no. Did Inuyasha want to stay by her? Unlikely. He had no need of verbal communication to tell her that he was still holding a candle for Kikyou and there was nothing Kagome could do to replace her. Kagome made him feel loved, warm, comforted and happy (_could Kikyou give him that?_ she thought sadly and without bitterness). He had told her this a long time ago and a long time ago she had chosen to remain with him so that he would not have to sacrifice this new found happiness he found in her companionship, although her own heart had been bruised by him. It didn't matter. She would probably be worse off if she wasn't with him, alone and miserable at home. At least on their journey she could forget most of the time that Kikyou was still out there.

_It's probably best that I just leave_, thought Kagome, scrubbing the dirt off of arms and face. _I'll just get in the way and cause Inuyasha pain. I don't want him to suffer on my account. _

As she redressed, she remembered the Shikon Jewel. What would she do with it? Since Kikyou was alive, she could purify and guard it. It would be just like the partnership Kikyou had with Inuyasha fifty years ago. Maybe then Kikyou and Inuyasha would have a chance to really be together. That would be good thing.

_Then why do I feel like I am dying slowly when I think about that?_ she wondered.

First chapter is up. If you liked it, review it. That's all I ask. A one-liner will suffice, it doesn't have to be a five paragraph analysis, but you can do that too if you want. Flames are welcome. Tell me _exactly _how wrong I am in my ideas. Please.

XOXO the Red Snowsled


	2. 2 Get Schooled

To darkest flare: Thank you for your review. Most of the chapters are already written and they are all about this length. And the variety of genres is coming, don't worry…thanks for replying. Gives a writer a fuzzy feeling.

Chapter Two - Get Schooled

After a week, Inuyasha could walk again. Kagome studied dutifully with Kaede-baba on using her miko powers for healing. She managed to shorten Inuyasha's healing time by a few days. A few youkai had attacked the village in search of the Shikon no Tama, but Kaede's barrier held strong; at any rate, Miroku and Kagome worked together to defend the village while Sango and Inuyasha were incapacitated.

Kagome switched her living space and attentions from Inuyasha to Sango. Although Sango was still very weak, she had enough strength to smack Miroku and sense when he was groping her; he would take advantage of that as soon as he could. Also, she wanted to avoid the awkwardness of sleeping in the same vicinity as Inuyasha while he was nearly healed.

"Kagome? Are you there?" Sango moaned one evening as she stirred. Kagome looked up from the textbook she was studying.

"Rest, Sango! Don't move." Kagome massaged her friend gently into a calm relaxation. She concentrated on what Kaede had told her about dulling pain, a sort of spiritual anesthesia. Sango's tension unwound almost instantly.

"Thanks," she sighed. "My whole body…it aches. It hurts."

"I understand."

"How is Inuyasha?" mumbled Sango.

"He's fine. He's walking again."

"That's good to hear. I also heard the Sacred Jewel of Four Souls is complete."

"Yes. Our quest is over. Naraku is dead."

"Are you going to keep the jewel?" Sango asked, turning over on her side to face Kagome, who had sat herself back a bit.

"I…I don't know. I think so. I was born with it. I guess it only makes sense that I keep it."

"Is Inuyasha going to make his wish on it? Will he become a full youkai?"

Kagome had completely forgotten about the purpose Inuyasha had been with her this year and half. He could have killed her for it, if Kaede hadn't been quick with her rosary charm. Thinking of the rosary charm, Kagome wondered if it was really necessary any more. Would he want it taken off if she returned to her time? These questions that had been pushed aside or not even posed took up the forefront of her mind.

"I don't know," sighed Kagome. "I hope not. I really hope he won't want that. I don't know if I would give it to him."

"Me too. Who knows what will happen?"

A moment of silence passed before Kagome closed her eyes.

"I'm going to go back home tomorrow. If all goes well, you probably won't see me for a very long time."

"What? Kagome-chan, are you saying you are through here?" asked Sango with mournful eyes.

"I am. Naraku is gone and the Jewel is complete. All of my reasons for being here have been fulfilled."

"What about Inuyasha?" asked Sango earnestly.

"What about him?" said Kagome, gritting her teeth, trying to sound casual.

"I…in my mind, I cannot envision the two of you apart like that. I cannot. Not for Kikyou, not for Houjo Akitoki or Kouga. It just doesn't seem right."

"Well, it's Inuyasha's wish, isn't it?"

"Who said that?"

"Well, it's my wish, then," said Kagome with a bit of irritation at herself. "I want to go back to school and have all my old dreams back. I was really smart in school, Sango! That was a long time ago. I still want to become a veterinarian and a movie star's wife. Or something like that."

"I don't know what any of that means, but I guess if it makes you more content than your companionship with Inuyasha, that is what is best for you, Kagome-chan."

"Right," sighed Kagome. "Thank you, Sango-chan, for everything. Your friendship has meant a lot to me. I hope you will have a very happy life and I can visit you from time to time."

"Hie," said Sango, closing her eyes, a small tear being shed.

"Rest tonight, Sango," said Kagome, lying down in her sleeping bag and zipping up the cover. "We'll be sad tomorrow, okay?"

"Kagome, I'll miss you a lot," cried Shippou, tiny tears pouring down his cheeks. It was dark the next night, but she still saw the tears reflecting in the early moonlight. He rubbed them away with his small hands. "Promise you'll visit."

"I promise. You'll be happy staying with Miroku and Sango, right? And you'll behave?"

"Yes, I will."

"Good. Here," she said, opening her backpack. Inside was a large bag of suckers and chocolate. She gave it all to the kitsune who eyed it dolefully. "This is all yours. Don't eat it all at once, I won't be back with more for a long time."

Shippou hugged her tightly in response.

"Get off of her," grunted Inuyasha. He was in a bad mood. "You can't just go around like that with women. You're too old for that, Shippou."

"Really, now, Inuyasha," said Kagome with annoyance. She gave Shippou a last kiss on the forehead before he bounded back to Sango's feet. She had already exchanged bows with Miroku and a hug with Sango. All that was left was Inuyasha's farewell.

They stood opposite each other for a moment, just looking at each other, not sure what to do.

"Well, go already," he waved her away. "I want to get some sleep tonight."

"Fine," she sighed, not letting the tears in her eyes get the best of her. "Have a good life, Inuyasha." She grabbed an arrow out of her quiver. Inuyasha didn't even flinch when she brought it close to his neck; he simply sniffed curiously.

"What are you doing?" he asked. She grabbed the cord of the rosary and ran it along the edge of the arrowhead, snapping it. The beads glowed a light purple before falling to the ground, useless. He gasped, disbelieving. "Kagome!"

"You're released. You won't have to worry about me saying…" she paused and watched him brace himself, "…'osuwari' ever again." He opened his eyes, but he hadn't even been so much as tripped.

"Say it again," he demanded.

"Osuwari, osuwari, osuwari. Sit, boy," she commanded. Nothing happened. He simply stared at her in wonder. She gave a small, pained smile.

"Good bye, Kagome," chanted three of her traveling companions. Inuyasha was still spellbound in watching her. She leapt over the side of the well into the darkness.

She had crept up to bed that night and slept soundly without even waking her brother. In the morning, her mother greeted and welcomed her home.

"How long are you staying for?" asked her mother. "Do you need anything?"

"Mom, you're talking as though the Sengoku Jidai is my new home," sighed Kagome. "No, I'm going to stay over here. I'm not going back for a long time. School starts in a week! I can't be absent for another day or I'll never graduate."

"You're not going back?" cried Souta. "Wha-what about Brother Inu?"

"Inuyasha belongs in his own time," said Kagome. "And I belong here with all of you."

"It's a shame, really," sighed her mother. "Such a nice boy has to live in such a volatile time period."

"He can handle himself."

"Who will protect you, Kagome?" asked Souta.

"I—I can protect myself, baka!" Kagome snapped at her little brother.

"Kagome, be nice. Besides, it's very lucky you came back today," said her mother. "The school board has scheduled a hearing for you today."

"A hearing?" asked Kagome in surprise, nearly dropping her cereal bowl. "Why? What did I do?"

"It's more like what you _didn't _do," added Grandfather. "You've been absent so much they're thinking about making you retake your last year of junior high school before you go on."

"WHAT?" cried Kagome. "This can't be happening! I can't…all my friends…"

"You'll truly have to impress them at the hearing," encouraged her mother. "Study very hard before you go."

"I will!" Kagome said, standing up suddenly. "There is no minute to spare!" She rushed upstairs and tore open her backpack, dumping everything from trinkets of the past to candy wrappers (she insisted that Shippou not throw them on the ground and litter in the past) to find her textbooks. She grabbed four of them and began poring over them in preparation for the hearing.

"Higurashi Kagome," the panel leader announced. Four officials were positioned behind a long table facing Kagome, who sat in a single desk in an otherwise empty classroom. "Why have you missed so much school?"

_I've been saving the world from a vicious youkai, because of which your ancestors were saved and alive, gave birth to your grandparents who were born and exist, therefore you exist, _she wanted to say. Naraku probably would have wiped the humans off the face of the earth, along with these stony-faced judges.

"I've been horridly sick," she said weakly.

"So we've seen from the colorful list the attendance office has given us. Malaria, small pox, everything from the rarest diseases to the common cold."

"It's been a horrible year. I spent the summer abroad receiving treatment from a specialist," she lied on a whim. "I should be in excellent health this year; I've never felt better."

"That's good news," said another judge. "However, your progress last year in your studying has been greatly hindered. It may be in your best interest to repeat the year."

"Oh, please, no!" Kagome cried. "I mean, I don't think that's necessary."

"Why is that?"

"I…I can handle the next year. I very much want to go onto high school and graduate with my friends. I have a tutor that can give me extra help." She thought of Houjo-kun and his valiant efforts.

"A tutor is a good show of effort," a third official spoke. "If the student has the dedication to work hard enough."

"She has lots of dedication!" a voice from the door.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome gasped, hoping her eyes didn't fall out of her head in surprise.

There was the hanyou in his red haori, a baseball cap, and Tetsusaiga at his side. He gave the impression that he had knocked down the door, though he had only flung it open.

"Excuse me? Who are you?" asked the first judge, irritated at the interruption.

"I'm a witness on Kagome's behalf, that's who," said Inuyasha with spite. "She works really hard."

"Why do you say that?" asked the last judge, humoring him.

"I've been with her while she's away. It's annoying how much homework she does. Her nose is always in one of those big books. She tries as hard as she can to get away and go to school. I try not to let her, but she insists. Always taking those 'tests' or whatever. So she's really smart. You have to let her stay in school. Let her do what she wants."

"Although I don't improve of this intrusion," the first official said tritely, "your track record speaks for you. You have had outstanding marks until this year. The test you took today demonstrates that you at least have a picture of what was taught in your curriculum. I think that through tight discipline you should be able to manage your first year of high school. Make use of your tutor and try not to be absent anymore."

"Arigato!" she cried, clutching the sides of the desk. "Thank you so much."

"That will be all, Higurashi. You may leave now."

Kagome left the room quickly, dragging Inuyasha by the sleeve of his red Firerat cloak. After the door had been closed, she flung herself into Inuyasha's arms, embracing him tightly.

"Get—get a grip, Kagome," Inuyasha mumbled, blushing and pushing her away.

"I passed! I passed, I can go into high school! Thank you for speaking for me! Thank you so much Inuyasha! Thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm so happy I could dance all the way home!" she cried, jumping up and running down the hall. Inuyasha easily kept stride with her.

"You never thanked me _that_ much for saving your life before," he barked at her.

"Oh, this is much more important than life or death," said Kagome breathlessly. She jumped an entire flight of stairs and fell over. Inuyasha picked her up and set her back on her feet, to which she immediately started running again. She was out of the school and she took a deep breath.

"YESSSS!" she cried, waving her hands around.

"Calm down, wench," Inuyasha chided.

"Oh, Inuyasha," said Kagome suddenly, stopping in her tracks. "Why are you here?"

"What do you mean?" he asked, looking away.

"I mean, we said our good byes. I'm meant to go to high school now. I can't see you everyday like before."

"I came here because I want to stay here with you," he said.

"Inuyasha," gasped Kagome. _Is he admitting something? Will he confess his feelings?_ But his next words deflated her hope.

"If you get killed and the Shikon Jewel is stolen, then that creates problems for me."

"So you still want the stupid jewel," sighed Kagome.

"Wasn't that what this was all about in the first place?"

"Yes," said Kagome with irritation. "I thought we established that I would guard it. There aren't any youkai in my time period, Inuyasha, nothing's threatening me."

"What about the Noh mask?" Inuyasha shot back. "Stuff like that is bound to crop up. I doubt you'll be able to fight a weak youkai with those miko powers of yours."

"Speaking of miko," spat Kagome, "shouldn't you be chasing after Kikyou?" She watched his reaction carefully. His eyes narrowed.

"Shouldn't you be having Kouga's ugly brats?" He eyed her just as intently.

"Shouldn't you be sniffing some other dog's butt?"

"Shouldn't you be working the corner tonight?"

"Baka!" she shouted furiously. She almost called out 'osuwari', but remembered she had broke the rosary.

"Whore," he mumbled.

"Where are you going, anyway?" she glared at him.

"Where I sleep when I'm on this side. In your house."

"Nuh uh. I am not sleeping under the same roof as you." She spotted a bench on the sidewalk that they treaded upon. She sat down, crossed her legs, and turned up her nose.

"Wench, you can't sleep on the street," he argued. Immediately she regretted her words. He was only showing concern for her. At least she hoped it was her and not the Shikon no Tama.

"I'm sorry, Inuyasha. I can't believe I let you make me mad on the happiest day of my life." She sighed, looking down at the signature on the paper that said she could advance. "I'm sorry I said cruel things."

"Hmph," he said, but he brought his nose down from its lofty height. It was far too much to hope for that he would apologize in turn, but she would settle for him accepting her own apology. "Let's get home. Your mom has dinner waiting."

"How do you know?" she asked, surprised. "Can you smell it all the way from here?"

"There are a million smells in this city. I can only smell you right now."

"Oh."

"The first place I looked for you was in your house. Your mom said you were at school and they were going to kick you out for not studying. I had to say something because the idea that you don't study is worth shit. Your mom was making dinner last I saw. She told me to fetch you if I could."

"Thank you, Inuyasha," she said. "For sticking up for me."

"Keh. Why are we standing here?" he asked. Kagome stood under the alcove for the bus stop.

"We need to catch the bus to get back home. I can't walk that far. It'll take all night."

"Weakling. Get on my back," grumbled he. She obliged, sat, and grasped his shoulders, glad she was able to fly like this again. They bounded over the buildings. She felt like Mary Jane with Spider-man from those comic books Souta read that Kagome sneaked from time to time. Except there was no messy web with this. She saw her family's home in the shrine on the outskirts of the city. Inuyasha leapt high and landed easily on the ground. Kagome hopped off of his back.

"Come on!" she cried, grabbing his hand. "We have to tell them the good news."

After a lovely, congratulatory meal of red rice, Inuyasha revealed that he intended to stay with Kagome.

"Oh, you must stay here at the shrine!" Mrs. Higurashi exclaimed. "You are most welcome."

"Th-thank you?" Inuyasha choked out. The words were mostly unfamiliar to his tongue.

"Kagome, Inuyasha must be enrolled in your school."

"Wha…?" cried Inuyasha, falling over. "No, I'm not going to no school, lady."

"Inuyasha!" exclaimed Kagome. "This is your chance of a lifetime. You can get a good education here. EVERYONE goes to school."

"I don't want to go to no school!"

"How are you supposed to protect me if you can't even be where I am for half the day, huh? What are you going to do, wait outside all day?"

"I…I…" he stammered. "I can't even read."

"Hmm, that is a problem," said Kagome. "I think I can solve it, though."

"Rub this, Inuyasha, it brings good luck," said Grandfather, holding out a bone of some sort. "It's a rabbit youkai foot. Verrry lucky. I rubbed it this morning when I entered that contest for a trip to Hawaii!"

"Jii-chan…" Mrs. Higurashi warned.

"I think…I think I can help you, Inuyasha. Come up to my room. Thanks for dinner, mom, it was delicious!" Kagome dragged Inuyasha by the wrist up to her room.

"What the hell is this, Kagome?" asked Inuyasha, aggravated by the fact he had been led away from food. "You can't teach me your whole life's worth of learning in a few days."

"A charm…a charm Kaede taught me," said Kagome, rummaging through the contents of the items she had dumped on the floor that morning from her backpack. She found it among the candy wrappers. It was a bracelet with a few beads on it, clicking together as she jangled it. "But it needs my teeth…and I'm not going to knock my own out. Oh wait!" She cried out again and rummaged through the desk until she found the little box with her baby teeth in it. She strung the old teeth into the bracelet.

"What are you doing?" asked Inuyasha as she began to tie the bracelet on his wrist.

"It's a spiritual connection," said Kagome. "Kaede uses a bracelet like this when she has a patient and doesn't know what's wrong with him. A piece of jewelry like a necklace or a bracelet made with the giver's teeth creates a bond between the wearer and the giver. She only uses it for a moment, though, to learn where the pain is and how to treat it. I think it'll work if I can give you the knowledge in my brain."

"I don't want you doing nothing funny to my brain, Kagome," Inuyasha warned.

"I'm going to make you much smarter, Inuyasha. Just trust me." With that command, he was unable to resist her.

"Fine. Do your miko thing."

"Okay. Put your hand here." They were sitting upon the bed. Kagome knelt beside him. She positioned his hand over her forehead, palm gently cupped around. She fiddled with the beads and concentrated on her kindergarten, whizzing over the memories of her class, not what she had actually learned, but what the teacher had said, what she had read, and everything that should have soaked through in her subconscious memories. She did the same for first grade, second, third…the end of primary school…

"Kagome!" Inuyasha called. Too late, she was deep in her memories, months flying by. He tried to yank his hand away, but she held fast to his hand. Just two more years…what was time anyway?…sixth grade was gone…

"Kagome! Kagome, stop it! Wake up!" So far away.

Seventh grade…

"Inuyasha, is she okay?"

"I don't know, she won't stop! She's in a trance or something."

Then eighth grade…it was over…she was done…it was all she could remember. She blacked out on her carpet.

"Kagome." A voice came from somewhere above her. Fluffiness surrounded her and a warm, wet towel was on her forehead. "Wake up. Kagome."

"Inu…yasha?" Kagome yawned. She didn't open her eyes. "Did I fall asleep?"

"You blacked out, baka. You exhausted yourself."

"What was I doing?"

"You were doing something with this bracelet on my wrist."

"Kagome, are you okay?" a warm female voice asked next.

"Yeah, I'm just really sleepy, Mom," Kagome said quietly.

"We'll let you get your rest, then. Souta, Father, let's go. Let's leave Inuyasha and Kagome alone, he'll take care of her."

"Okay," the other voices agreed begrudgingly. She heard feet shuffling out the door and it being snapped shut.

"Are you still here, Inuyasha?" she asked. She waved her hand around hoping to grasp something. She still didn't want to open her eyes. Her hand first smacked the side of his face, then his ear. He grabbed her hand first roughly, then tenderly.

"Yeah, where'd you think I went? I don't have a room."

"You can use mine as long as you like."

"Hmph."

"Did it work?" she asked.

"What?"

"The…thingy. Did it work?"

"I didn't know what the hell you were doing Kagome, except scaring everyone. You hold my hand on your forehead for an hour, then you start to sort of convulse…scared the hell out of me."

"Are you okay, Inuyasha?"

"I'm fine. Are you?"

"Just tired. Can you reach one of my textbooks?"

"You're going to _study _at a time like this?"

"No, you are."

"Kagome, I can't read."

"Open the book. Do you understand it?"

"Well, I can't see it. It's very dark in here, it's nighttime now."

"Turn on the light, baka," sighed Kagome.

"Light? Turned on? You're the baka. There aren't any candles in here, and I know because I don't smell wax."

"Near my door. There is a switch, a white thingy sticking out. Put your finger under it and push it up. Not hard."

"Damn ninja light," he muttered as it came on.

"Look at the words in the textbook. Read me what it says, Inuyasha."

"I'm telling you, I can't—wait. What is this?"

"What?"

"I can understand it. That word is 'atom', that one is 'is'. 'An atom is the smallest whole particle of an element.' I understood that sentence."

"What does it mean?"

"An atom is the single unit of an element," explained Inuyasha. From the tone in his voice he was no longer reading the text book. "…as a opposed to a compound, the other kind of pure substance, which has its smallest particle being a molecule."

"I think that's right, Inuyasha. Keep reading."

"Compounds are chemically combined and cannot be separated using physical means. Typically the characteristics of an element in a compound are completely different than the same element not part of the compound. For example, NaCl, or salt, is…Kagome?"

"Zzzzzz," was the response.

"What happened to me?" he asked. He flicked the switch again, and the ninja light vanished, leaving him in the dark. He tried the switch at her desk table, turned the light on there and read into the night.


	3. 3 The Rules

SpiderFreak- Thanks for you review. Sorry about the summary. If you have a better suggestion let me know, because I could definitely use help writing a good summary. Or anyone reading this. Just drop a line in the review.

Chapter Three. The Rules.

Kagome woke up the next morning, her head still aching. Nevertheless, it was a beautiful morning, and Inuyasha was asleep at her desk, collapsed over the textbook. She debated over waking him up and decided against it. She went downstairs and made herself breakfast instead.

Her mother was waiting there, sipping herbal tea.

"Kagome, how are you feeling?" she asked, searching her daughter intently.

"Good," she replied, reaching for the milk out of the fridge. "The charm worked, I think. Inuyasha spent the night reading my physical science text."

"Do you think he'll want to go to school, then?"

"I don't know, Mama. He seemed rather stubborn about it, didn't he? Once he has his mind to something, he won't go back."

"Well, we'll have to make a good case for it," he mother said, clenching her soft fist. Kagome nodded in agreement. Souta and Grandfather came in that morning inquiring about Kagome's health and the whereabouts of Inuyasha.

"We can ride on his back to school!" Souta said happily. "Wouldn't that be awesome, sis?"

"No, Souta," chided Kagome. "If Inuyasha goes to school, he has to behave like any one of us. We'll walk together to school and ride the bus."

"What if we're late?" asked Souta slyly. "And there's no other way?"

"Then we'll run very quickly on our own two legs, won't we?"

"Keh," grunted Souta.

"Did you just say 'keh?" asked Kagome in bewilderment. "You're starting to sound like Inuyasha, Souta!"

"I do?" he asked, obviously pleased by the comment. "Keh! Keh! Keh!"

"It's not a good thing." Kagome finished eating and put her bowl in the sink. She ascended the stairs to see if Inuyasha was still sleeping. He was, so Kagome shook his shoulders.

"Wake up, Inuyasha, it's morning."

He grunted in response.

"Fine, have it your way." She walked over to her stereo and turned on the radio. Japanese pop music pumped through the speakers at extra volume. Kagome danced and bopped around a little bit as she tidied her room up and got ready for a bath. After she was finished with that, he was still passed out on her desk. She moved the textbook away from him.

_Hmmmm…how can I do this?_ She thought. She pulled the chair out a little ways. She hooked her arm under his knees and one behind his back and lifted him with a great struggle. She took three quick steps and tripped while holding him onto her bed. He simply grunted in irritation and pulled the covers over his head. She sighed and got dressed, confident he wasn't looking. She grabbed her purse and went downstairs again.

"I'm going shopping," she announced to her mother.

"Have fun," wished her mother with a wave and smile.

Kagome looked in the men's department and walked back to the boy's department in the large clothing store. Would Inuyasha be classified as a boy or a man? He certainly acted like a little boy most of the time. However, his body was pretty much molded to that of a man's. She had already picked up a school uniform for him and now she was considering weekend clothing for him. It was hard for her to imagine him in anything but his red haori and baggy hakama pants, nevertheless wearing _shoes. _

She settled on a nice dress shirt with a tie and black khakis. She also chose a black overcoat for him for when it would get rainy or cold.

The total cost of the clothes had been expensive. Luckily, she had saved enough money over two years worth of uncollected allowance to afford the nice garments. And she had had fun dressing up Inuyasha in her mind. She thought the black cloak would make him look more mysterious.

After leaving the shop she stopped by the store to pick up more ramen, cleaning out the last traces of money from her purse. She delivered her goods safely home to find Inuyasha sitting on the couch squinting at the television.

"Where've you been, wench?" he snapped at her. "I thought you were sleeping."

"That was hours ago. You've been sleeping since, haven't you?" she asked, not waiting for a reply. She produced her shopping bag. "Try it on."

"I'm not going to wear a bag, Kagome," he argued, looking at it.

"No, no, what's inside the bag. Have Souta help you. Souta!" she called. Her brother looked in on her from the kitchen with a cookie in his mouth. "Help Inuyasha try on these clothes. I want to see all of them."

"Hie!" agreed Souta with a nod. He grabbed Inuyasha's sleeve and the bag and pulled him into the bathroom.

Kagome turned her attention to the TV, ignoring the cries of revolt from the bathroom. It was a news report from the inner city, something about a fire occurring at a radio station. The fire had nearly decimated the building. She chewed her bottom lip and watched the news reporter speaking and his interview with the DJ who had escaped the fire.

How long had it been since she had watched TV like this? Just letting her brain shut off was relaxing.

"Sis, look!" Souta said, pushing Inuyasha out of the bathroom.

Inuyasha stood in the black school uniform and it reminded her Houjo-kun. He looked very fetching; she felt an upsurge of adoration for him. He looked ticked about the whole affair, however. He scratched the fabric around his butt and sleeves.

"It's uncomfortable," he whined, trying to stretch it out.

"Don't pick at it, you'll rip it. Try on the other one." She turned back to the television and watched a commercial for a new electronic toy. She wondered if Souta had that particular one.

"I look like a sleazy bandit," Inuyasha complained, coming out of the bathroom. He stood there in the black over coat and the dress shirt unbuttoned at the top (Souta probably couldn't reach that high). He was so mysterious-looking, like a secret agent with wild white hair…and dog ears, too.

"Inuyasha, you look amazing!" Kagome said, stars in her eyes. "Like a movie star! Don't you think so, Souta?"

"You look awesome, Inu-chan," Souta agreed.

"Keh," he brushed aside the praise, but struck a pose that made him look like a feral James Bond. "This one's easier to wear, anyway."

"Hold it like this," said Kagome, showing him with her own pen. "Don't grip it like that." She adjusted his fingers on the pen.

They sat on the floor of Kagome's room, paper scattered all around them. Inuyasha was hunched over his pen and paper, trying to follow what Kagome was saying.

"Argh!" he grunted, and snapped the pen half. Luckily Kagome had set out newspapers just for that purpose, and none of the ink got on the carpet.

"Patience, baka!" Kagome snipped at him. "Just relax. Watch." She took the pen and wrote on her paper, in big flowery script, '_My name is Higurashi Kagome'_.

" 'My name is Higurashi Kagome'," recited Inuyasha. "I can read that."

"Good," said Kagome with a smile. "Your turn. Write 'my name is Inuyasha'."

He gripped the pen, then rearranged his fingers with much concentration. He grasped it the way Kagome showed him, and in large, awkward characters, similar to those of a small child, he wrote 'My name is Inuyasha.'"

"That's great, Inuyasha! Keep going. You can do it." He continued on many pieces of paper, eventually making the marks smaller and more precise. It was still sloppy, but readable and crunchable into a line of notebook paper. "Once we're done with your penmanship, we can start on etiquette lessons!" Kagome announced, a mission clearly stated in her eyes. Inuyasha looked up with suspicion.

"Etiquette? I'm not a snob like Sesshoumaru, so you keep your fancy lessons to yourself." He 'hmph'ed and returned to his writing, his knuckles white from the effort of controlling his pen.

"Baka," Kagome said with a glare. "School has lots of etiquette rules your have to follow. Like…raising your hand in class when you want to talk."

"I know that already," snorted Inuyasha. "You sent me your brain, remember?"

"Oh yeah. So you should know all that stuff already." They were silent for a moment while Inuyasha copied his characters.

"Kagome," Inuyasha said, pausing in his writing to look up at her. "Why do you go to school?"

"Why?" she asked, cocking her head to the side. "Everyone does."

"Why?" he repeated. "Why does everyone go to school? Where are the farmers? Don't people just become apprenticed anymore, or learn from their fathers so that they might surpass them?"

"They do, but it's very uncommon. All the good careers—livelihoods, I mean-"

"I know what a career is, Kagome. Fifth grade language class."

"Right. You need school to get the good careers. After high school is university. University prepares a person for a high-level job. The high-level jobs pay the most; that's why they're so competitive. I guess in the modern society you're a failure if you don't get through school."

_A failure?_ Inuyasha wondered. He looked down at his own scrawling on the paper and at Kagome's texts. _From not being able to understand books? There's no way I'm going to mess this up, especially if I would become a failure in Kagome's world. No way. _With that determination, he set about picking up her text books and began to decipher them one by one.

"I…Kagome," Inuyasha said, suddenly very tense. "I have the rosary."

"The kotodama one?" she asked. He nodded and pulled it out.

"I used it to go through the well with the lingering magic it still had in it. Kaede fixed it for me and said the spell over it."

"Inuyasha, are you choosing to wear the rosary?" asked Kagome with great surprise.

"Yeah," he said. "I can't go back without it. It also comes in handy. Plus, it just doesn't feel right without it. I can't explain it. When you cut it…it was like… just say the stupid word, already."

"Hie," Kagome agreed. She took the rosary and placed it over Inuyasha's head without a complaint from him. "Okay, I'm forewarning you. Here's my pillow, put it on the ground there." She threw him the sham and he placed it directly under himself.

"Ready?"

"Get it over with."

"Osuwari!"

THUD

Kagome was up before the sun for her first day of school. Across the room, Inuyasha slept soundly, Tetsusaiga nestled under his arm and in the crook of his neck. The Higurashi family decided Inuyasha would sleep in Kagome's room, although it might have been more appropriate that he share a room with Souta. Inuyasha claimed he would sleep near the Shikon shards, and unless Kagome and Souta started sharing a room, Inuyasha would stay with Kagome. They had at least offered him a cot, if he would not take a bed, but he resisted on any generosity on their part for a sleeping place. Kagome didn't care as long as he didn't mess up her stuff or watch while she was changing her clothes.

"Wake up, Inuyasha, it's time for school," she said, shaking his shoulder with her foot. She stretched and picked out her clothes (tough one—a uniform or a uniform?), placing them on her bed. She went downstairs for breakfast. Inuyasha came down soon after and cracked open a cup of noodles. He was wearing his 'yah-mah-kah': a religious headpiece that apparently the Jewish wore in the West somewhere. The real reason he wore the piece was to hide his ears, but the school wouldn't allow hats in school without just cause. It wasn't a real one (it didn't even look real) but she doubted anyone would call his religion into question.

"Mmm," he mumbled as he watched the water boil.

"Inuyasha, you can't have ramen for every meal!" sighed Kagome. "Especially not for breakfast."

"I eat what your mom cooks."

"You never eat what I cook anymore!" argued Kagome, watching him inhale the prepackaged food. "You used to eat what I made for you all the time."

"Well, the choice was between food and starvation, it's not really about you-" he considered.

"Baka!" she cursed at him. "Osuwari!"

"What the hell, Kagome!" he cried, his face full of noodles as he pried himself out of his floor-crater.

"Inu-neechan said a bad word," giggled Souta before turning back to his cereal.

"Next time I hope you just starve!" she glowered at him. She ran upstairs and took a bath, as part of her morning before-school ritual, but it didn't help her relax. She got dressed quickly and checked the clock after she had loaded the rest of her textbooks into her backpack. It would be ten minutes before the bus would pull up to the corner two blocks from the bottom of the stairs to the Higurashi's shrine.

Souta had already left, but Inuyasha was still eating, on his third container of instant noodles.

"Inuyasha, you're going to be late!" she shrieked, trying to push him upstairs so he could get dressed out of him usual red clothing.

"No I wont, baka! Stop pushing me," he said, tensing his muscles. Inuyasha would never push her back, but he growled at her.

"Fine! Be stupid. You'll already be a truant on your first day. I'm going to educate and make something of myself!" She stormed out of the house. By the time she slammed the door, she could hear slurping noises. Furious, she ran down the stairs, nearly tripped, and ran all the way to the bus stop. She waited for four minutes, expecting Inuyasha to show up any moment. However, he was not to be seen. As the bus came around the corner and pulled to a stop, Kagome looked around it earnestly to see him, but he was not there.

"What's wrong, Kagome?" asked her friend Eri, attended by their mutual friends Ayami and Yuka. "Why do you keep looking back towards your house?"

_Well, there's no use in lying any longer_, thought Kagome. _They'll find out sooner or later. I'd rather they get my version of the story rather than hear a rumor._

"Inuyasha moved from…his home country…into my house," said Kagome.

The girls erupted in a fit of giggles, which merited annoyed looks from the other passengers.

"Your delinquent boyfriend moved in with you?" asked Yuka in a scandalized whisper.

"He's hafu, right?" asked Ayami, trying to remember.

"Yeah!" said Kagome quickly. "He's from Australia, on exchange for the year. I'm afraid he's late, though, I kept looking to see if he was coming."

"Late on his first day!" hissed Yuka. "He _is _a delinquent!"

"I guess he is, isn't he?" Kagome said with her nose in the air.

"Kagome!" said Eri, looking shocked. "You're not defending him?"

"Why should I? Late is late. If he's going to be a jerk about my cooking and eat ramen for breakfast, that's his own problem, isn't it?"

"Your cooking?" asked Ayami with a frown.

"He eats ramen for _breakfast_? What, is he from outer space?" asked Yuka.

"Seems like it sometimes," sighed Kagome. She remembered that last week she'd spent coaching him on not telling anyone that he was actually from another time period:

"_Why do I have to wear this stupid head thing?" he asked, tugging at the fake yarmulke. "My ears are cramped."_

"_Can you still hear okay?"_

"_Well, not as clear as before."_

"_If I stood five meters away and whispered something, would you be able to hear me?"_

"_Well, yeah…"_

"_Then it stays on. You need to hide your ears, Inuyasha. If they found out you were a hanyou…"_

"_Why? Why do I have to hide whenever I go outside? Are you…ashamed of me? Kagome?"_

"_Ashamed of you? Why would I be ashamed of you?" _

"_Because I am a hanyou."_

"_Inuyasha!" Kagome cried, taking his hand. "Never! If it were only a matter of shame, I would have no problem. But…the present is different from the past. There are no youkai anymore, nobody believes in them! They would not believe it…"_

"_I could show them my ears and my powers. They would believe then!" He cried out, pumping his fist._

"_No, they wouldn't. They would think you were some kind of monster that was created."_

"_Like Naraku?"_

"_Yeah, sort of like Naraku. No one would believe you were naturally born like this. It's not like in the Sengoku Jidai and being a hanyou there. Here…they would take you away."_

"_They? Who are they? An evil band of demons?" asked Inuyasha. "I'm not afraid."_

"_No, the government. Scientists or someone. They might take you away to some laboratory to study you."_

"_I wouldn't let them."_

"_They're human, Inuyasha, you can't kill them. And they have more sophisticated weapons than anything you've ever seen in the Sengoku Jidai. If they find out you're not human, and that my family has been taking care of you, we'll all be in great danger."_

"_I'm not afraid of who I am. I'll protect you, and your family." He squeezed her hand tight with reassurance. "I'm not afraid of them."_

"_But I am. Please, for me, Inuyasha. Wear the headpiece. You can take it off after school, you don't have to sleep in it. You can trust my family. And I promise I'll rub your ears to make them feel better if they get sore."_

"_Keh. I hate it when you touch my ears."_

"_Liar!" _

"At least he doesn't have antennae," said Eri.

"Yeah, that would really be weird," agreed Kagome.

For the first time in a long time, the conversation turned from herself to one of her other friends, which was nice. She enjoyed the luxury of just worrying about the fact that Yuka couldn't seem to find hairstyle for a dance she was going to at another high school with a sempai instead of how she was going to extract a Shikon shard from the throat of some demon, or how she was going to sleep at night without thinking about dead bodies of villagers littering the ground.

They chattered about the benefits of up-hair rather than down-hair for dancing as they got off the bus. Kagome was engrossed in Eri's testament about the durability of a braid when she saw Inuyasha sitting on the ground, in his school uniform, scowling slightly.

"Inuyasha!" Kagome exclaimed to herself.

"Finally. That stupid machine is so slow. I could have just taken you myself," said Inuyasha. Kagome realized he had probably run all the way to school, jumping off the top of buildings, et cetera. She sighed and felt the headache coming on that would be triggered by the rush of questions from her friends about his athletic ability. She lucked out, however.

"You have a _car_, Inuyasha?" cried Eri in excitement.

"I…er," he mumbled, looking at Kagome for an answer.

"A motorcycle," said Kagome with quickness.

All three of her friends tried to keep from swooning, but they all looked at Inuyasha with stars in their eyes.

"Come on, class is starting!" Kagome quipped, grabbing Inuyasha's arm and dragging him away from her friends. She led Inuyasha inside and grabbed their schedules from a stack that the crowd was fighting to get to. Inuyasha was agitated in this swirling crowd, she could see from the twitch in his eye. She led him over to an empty stairwell.

"What is this number?" he asked, pointing to something on his schedule.

"First, tell me the rules."

"Why?"

"Recite them, Inuyasha. I need to know."

"Fine, wench, fine. No sitting on my haunches, no growling, no sniffing, no starting or creating fights. No bringing Tetsusaiga to school. No being rude to other students or teachers. No taking off the yarmulke. No leaving during class. Raise my hand to speak. No talking back. No talking about the other time period or my being a half demon."

"And?"

"And what, wench?"

"One more."

"I don't know."

"It's 'work hard.'"

"Keh. Like I need a rule like that. I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me. It's not like I'm fighting a grand youkai or anything."

"Come and find me if anything goes wrong. Don't go off by yourself."

"You're acting like I'm a little kid."

"Am I?" she asked, considering herself. "Sorry."

"It's not your fault. Let's go. We have… Physical Education together, first hour." The pair set off down the crowded hallway towards the gym. They were in a sea of people, tightly packed together. Kagome wondered if Inuyasha had ever been around so many people before, crowded in one place, thriving and being social. They called and shouted to one another. Inuyasha stood out somewhat because of his skullcap and hair. Kagome took his hand and held it until they came to the gym. They parted for their respective locker rooms.


	4. 4 Where is Home?

Chapter 4 – Where is Home?

She couldn't say that she didn't find the sight of Inuyasha in a high school gym uniform highly amusing. He glared at her, daring her to laugh as she grinned at him. He wore a cotton t-shirt with the school's mascot on it, shorts, socks and shoes. That was another thing he had fought her tooth and nail on: the footwear. He had ripped up at least three pairs of socks after they had apparently violated his feet in monstrous ways. After the sock-wearing fiasco came the tennis shoes. After he had destroyed his first pair of those, Kagome had sat him until he had dug that hole in the garden for her that she had been meaning to plant a row of hedges in. Luckily they were the marginally cheap drugstore kind and she was able to buy him another pair at a relatively economic price. He still wiggled his feet around, as though his toes were devising some kind of Rube-Goldberg escape out of their prison.

They had the same instructor and sat together. Kagome was usually comfortable in her uniform that showed pretty much all of her legs, but in front of Inuyasha, it was kind of embarrassing. Even he, a feral woodsman, had been mildly scandalized by her short skirt when he first saw her. She couldn't imagine what was going through his head after seeing all these girls with no skirt at all.

"Everyone take three laps and then come back here," the gym teacher announced. Everyone got up and began a slow jog on a track around the gym.

"Kagome," said Inuyasha, hunched slightly, waiting for her to jump on his back.

"No, Inuyasha!" hissed Kagome. "I have to run by myself. It's gym class."

"You're slow. It'll go faster if I just run for both of us. Come on."

"I can't," she said. She began to jog with her classmates. She felt herself easily overtaking many people as she jogged at a comfortable pace. _Wow_, she thought. _Running all over Japan in the Feudal Era has really gotten me into shape_. The swelling pride of her athletic ability was quickly punctured by the fact that Inuyasha was already on his second lap and overtaking her; he wasn't even breaking a sweat. They sat down again after their laps were over. The whole class was breathing heavily from the effort, except Inuyasha, whose pulse had maybe gone up a few more beats per second.

It was not fun looking into Inuyasha's face and seeing his gloating smile.

"This is how you future people teach your heirs to be strong?" he asked Kagome. "It's a wonder that you're not all worms writhing on the ground."

"Shut up, baka," she whispered.

"It seems we have a candidate for the track team," said the gym teacher, looking on Inuyasha with a sort of respect. "Today we are going to start our football study. Boys to the right, girls to the left. Form teams of seven…"

Kagome watched Inuyasha stalk off to the right side of the gym, wary of the other males. She knew it was his nature to not trust other males, especially around her. She whispered a quiet prayer that he would behave as she joined a group of six others.

"Kagome, you go in goal," said the girl captain. She was a year older. Kagome looked over at Inuyasha. She knew if balls were going to come flying at her, he would do something rash.

"No, you can."

"But you're so good!" whined the girl. Kagome was a fair goalkeeper, and it was the position she usually played.

"I'd rather play a different position. How about midcenter?" She gave an apologetic smile and took the position. Inuyasha's eyes darted towards her a few times.

The whistle blew and the games began. The two girl teams had a match going on while the boy teams played as well. Kagome played passively, only being an assister and never striking or defending more than she had too. Instead she tried to monitor Inuyasha's behavior from the other side of the room.

He had chosen to play a forward striker. He grabbed the ball with his hands and chucked it at the goal with immense speed.

"You can't touch it with your hands!" a few players shouted.

"Why not?" he argued.

"It's the rule of the game!" the goalkeeper shot back at him, riled at loud noise the football ball had made.

"Stupid rule."

"It's called_ foot_ball, baka!" another player shouted.

"Who are you calling baka?" Inuyasha snarled. He started towards the player threateningly.

"_Osuwari_," Kagome whispered. She said it so quietly Inuyasha didn't even get face-slammed. He fell to the ground. She quickly ran over to him. He had tucked the rosary under his shirt after the instructor had told him not to wear jewelry (it wasn't as though he could just take it off, after all). It was glowing slightly through the cotton. Kagome put her hand over it so no one noticed. "Inuyasha, are you all right? That was a bad trip."

"Kagome," Inuyasha hissed with anger. "Why-"

"It's not nice to threaten others," Kagome interrupted quickly. "And you can't just pick up the football. You have to use your feet to move it around and kick it into the goal. This isn't like…_Australian_ football. The rules are different." Everyone was watching them. Both games had stopped to watch Inuyasha's outburst. _Please don't say anything weird_, Kagome pleaded with him silently.

"With my feet?" he asked, nudging it curiously.

"Yes. Pass to the other players. It's fun." She ran back to the girls game. The other students whispered to each other.

"_He didn't know the rules, it's okay._"

"_How is Australian football different than regular? Is it like American football_?"

"_Probably. Sounds like fun, anyway_."

Kagome exhaled with relief. Would it be like this all day?

With her non-active playing style, Kagome avoided danger at all costs. While Kagome was used to playing well and aggressively, she toned it back because she knew Inuyasha was watching. After gym she changed back into her school uniform and walked with Inuyasha to their second class. They had taken all of the same classes, but after a few entrance exams, Inuyasha's surprising aptitude at math shone through; Kagome theorized correctly that Inuyasha had not only learned what permeated into her knowledge, but everything the teacher had exposed her to, because it was all in her subconscious memory. Therefore Inuyasha had learned every lesson perfectly and could not falter in solving equations as Kagome did.

The second class of the day was History. Inuyasha sat across the room from Kagome, but she watched him more raptly than the teacher, hoping no one would notice. As usual, they began their lessons with ancient myths and contrasted them with scientific evidence and anthropology.

The teacher handed on the syllabus with their class books and topics of study. Kagome scanned it and saw all of the usual things that they seemed to study every year. Her eyes widened when she saw a particular unit and flinched as the teacher shortly introduced it.

"And after that era, we will study the Sengoku Jidai, the period of warring feudal states-" the teacher read from his paper.

"Hey, Kagome!" Inuyasha called over to her as the teacher was talking. "That's—argh!"

"_Osuwari_," Kagome whispered so quietly she didn't even hear the words leave her lips, more like she simply mouthed it. He fell once again, but not hard enough that his face was planted onto the floor. It looked like he had somehow tripped while sitting in his desk.

"Mr. Yasha, please do not speak out of turn," said the teacher. Inuyasha was surprised as Kagome nodded vigorously, but he sat back down in his desk and fidgeted slightly until the end of the hour.

"Why can't I talk?" asked Inuyasha with irritation after class. They continued to walk down the hall together. "It's so boring listening to someone talk for a whole hour. I get sick of just listening to Kaede-baba for five minutes."

"Well, you'll have to put up with it," said Kagome. "There's six more hours of school today."

"_Six_?" he yelped. "Six hours of—of—of _that_?"

"You knew what it was when you picked my brain, remember?" she shot back at him.

"I never experienced how completely monotonous it was."

"Inuyasha…did you just say 'monotonous'?" she asked with incredulity.

"Yeah, so, wench?"

"It's just…it's such a big word," she said with surprise.

"Are you making fun of the way I talk?" he growled at her.

"Baka, you learned that word from my language class. It was on a vocabulary test."

"So what if it was…" he mumbled.

They sat through an hour of English class. Inuyasha could read and understand spoken English excellently and translate it without a problem, but he couldn't seem to speak it or write it very well. He was held back to an easier class, much to Kagome's chagrin.

"I thought you were from Australia?" asked one of the teachers with a frown. "They speak English there."

"Er, he's from a…an outback tribe! He's an Aborigine." Kagome sputtered. "They live in the woods. They're Jewish, too. That's why he wears the skullcap. They speak Japanese but read and listen to English radio and books."

"I see," said the English teacher with suspicion. "Wood-dwelling Jewish Aborigines that speak Japanese but read and listen to English."

"Something like that, yeah," said Kagome weakly. Inuyasha just sort of stared, bewildered at whatever she had just said about a-bohr-rid-jin-ees. It sounded like one of Naraku's insidious plots—were Aborigines the spawn of Naraku? He would find out more about these Aborigines later.

They escaped to lunch and found the table where Yuka, Eri and Ayami were sitting with some other girls. They greeted each other fondly.

"Kagome! Inuyasha! Over here!" Eri called, waving them over. Ayami moved over so Kagome and Inuyasha could sit down.

"Hey, how are your classes going, Kagome?" asked Ayami, balancing her many text books.

"Pretty good," said Kagome, looking at her schedule. Inuyasha took out his bag lunch and ate the sandwich Mrs. Higurashi had made for him. Kagome couldn't help but notice his ears and nose twitching uncomfortably, taking in all of the noise of a school cafeteria, plus the smell.

"I hear you're living at the Higurashi's, Inuyasha," said Yuka. Her tone was suggestive, and although Kagome picked up on it and blushed, Inuyasha made no gesture.

"Yeah," he said simply, concentrating on his food.

"Is it common to live with your girlfriend where you're from?" asked Yuka innocently. Inuyasha looked up at her from his lunch, trying to understand the compound of 'girl' and 'friend'. It wasn't a word Kagome had learned in her language class and it wasn't a word he had known before that.

"We usually live with our families," said Inuyasha. He stared straight ahead while eating the carrots. "Or by ourselves."

"Oh," said Yuka, looking away at the clock, then back at Kagome, who was looking suspicious at her friend.

"What's your schedule like, Ayami?" asked Kagome, trying to divert her nosy friend.

"Great!" said Ayami enthusiastically. "I have Advanced Statistics next hour, then Year 4 Korean, and at the end of the day I have Advanced Chemistry."

"Wow, that's a load of classes," said Kagome, her eyes wide. "Where do you find the time?"

"Here and there," said Ayami modestly. "What's your hardest class?"

"Umm…Intermediate English, probably. No wait, Geometry. Definitely geometry." Ayami smiled but didn't say anything. Kagome knew Ayami had taken Geometry two years ago and passed with flying colors.

"Can I get ramen in here?" asked Inuyasha, sniffing around. The girls burst into giggles and Kagome blushed with anger.

"You can't just eat nothing but ramen while you're here!" she argued.

"That's a double negative," said Inuyasha. The girls stopped giggling and looked at him curiously. Kagome frowned.

"What?"

" '_You can't just eat nothing but ramen while you're here_'. That's a double negative. It would be correct to say '_You can't just eat only ramen while you're here'_. Actually, it would be more correct to say '_We can go get ramen now, if you'd like.'_"

"Baka!" Kagome shouted at him with fury as she stood up. The entire lunchroom was quiet as they turned to look at her. "Can't you even hold a civil conversation?" She stood up. Her school had an open-campus policy about lunch—she'd just eat outside today. "Excuse me, Ayami, Eri, Yuka." She kicked her legs over the bench and stalked out of the cafeteria into the hallway.

_Did I just completely lose it in there_? She wondered. _I've always known he was rude. Why does it bother me so much now?_

She sat under the tree in the schoolyard and watched the cars go by. Although she jumped slightly, deep down she wasn't surprised to feel the rough, burlap-textured feel of the Firerat Robe against her leg as Inuyasha sat down next to her.

"What the hell is up with you?" he asked peering into her face, as if searching for jyaki emitting out of her orifices.

"I—I guess now that I'm not going to run to the Sengoku Jidai, school is my main focus."

"No, protecting the Shikon Jewel is your main focus," said Inuyasha earnestly. "School is a perk."

"It doesn't matter," said Kagome, taking out the jewel. "The Jewel is perfectly safe here; it was in my body for my whole life until the Lady Centipede removed it. It's just…hard to get back to normal. When I came here, I saw school as sort of a vacation from hunting down shards and Naraku. I delayed traveling to take tests because I knew it couldn't last forever and one day I would come back. Now that day is here. I have the rest of my life to think about. But there's one thing I didn't really count on."

"Nande?" he asked, his ears twitching.

"Well, you. I never thought you'd be here. Now…you're part of my life here. And I'm confused."

"Do I bother you that much?" he asked. He had taken his shoes and socks off and was looking down at his bare feet.

"Not at all, Inuyasha!" Kagome said defensively, clenching her fist. "I like you! I like having you here, I mean." She blushed slightly. "Where is home to you, Inuyasha?"

"Where is home?" he asked.

"Yeah. Where do you call home? Kaede's village in the Sengoku Jidai?"

"No way. The villagers haven't forgotten me as the fearsome hanyou who slew their beloved miko." He said this with a bitter tongue.

"Kikyou," said Kagome quietly, but thinking about Kikyou only brought her pain and discomfort, especially in such close proximity to Inuyasha. "Where, then?"

"I don't have a home," Inuyasha said defiantly after a moment or two. "I don't need one. I stay at inns and under the stars. It's the same thing as Kaede's hut and your house. It's just a place to sleep and eat. Plus, if I had a family, I'd just be tied down. I couldn't fight the way I want to or go around as I please."

"Oh," said Kagome sadly.

"Speaking of which," said Inuyasha, looking to the school with a certain amount of dislike. "Your world has so many rules. 'Stay in line'. 'Raise your hand'. 'No swords in school'. I don't see how you can keep from going insane from remembering and obeying them all."

"There are a lot more in my era than in yours," Kagome agreed. "But you could say that without the rules mine would be ten times as dangerous as yours."

"Huh?" asked Inuyasha. "More dangerous?"

"There's so much hurt in my world, too," said Kagome. "It seems perfectly peaceful, but my own father was killed in a car accident."

"You mean you can be killed by those big metal machines? The ones that look like Ginkotsu?" asked Inuyasha with a small growl. "You're never riding in one again, Kagome."

"What are you talking about, baka?" asked Kagome. "I ride the bus everyday to school!"

"_Everyday_? When you know you could be killed?" he asked. "You'll ride with me to school from now on. No more deadly bus for you."

"I am _not _riding on your back to school everyday. Somebody would see us."

"You're not riding that bus anymore."

"I am so. And if you want to protect me, you'll just have to wake up early enough to ride with me."

"Fine, wench," said Inuyasha. "I can protect you from a measly machine."

"Inuyasha, that was the bell. We have Chemistry this hour," said Kagome. He was quick to pull her to her feet and they hurried to the class.

-----

Read and Review, please. Thanks.

-The Red Snowsled


	5. 5 Bully Busters

We're switching to Inuyasha's POV here. Just to change things up a little. It's going to be pretty boring if it's one or the other whole time, right?

Thanks for your continued support, Spiderfreak. Definitely means a lot to me.

Thanks for your review, whiteraven.

---

Kagome showed him where his next class was on the third floor. It was Level Two Algebra, a class a year harder than what Kagome was taking. He guessed Kagome had to be really dense if she had been the one that had sat through the classes but didn't take in all the information. He had the benefit of being exposed to her learning subconscious, which had taken in everything, but hadn't properly manifested itself into her waking abilities.

He found himself, in his head, correcting the spoken grammar around him. It was a tiny nuisance, like when Shippou "accidentally" kicked his heel repeatedly on the walking paths or when he felt strange longings after having smelled Kagome was on her time of month. He would never say anything, for it would be undignified, but it bothered him nonetheless.

He looked over next to him and received an unwelcome shock.

"Akitoki!" he exclaimed, looking at the descendant of Houjou no Akitoki. However, on closer inspection, Inuyasha recognized him as the boy that had tried to embrace Kagome during that weird culture fair. He figured the strange smells from the food, which had been dizzying to him, had completely confounded her in her weaker human body, explaining why she had dressed in a stupid-looking kimono and started talking nonsense on a platform before an audience. Well, he would never let any man take advantage of Kagome. He had challenged this "Pierre Pannacotta", as the imposter was calling himself, to a duel, and he would have won, were it not for the youkai that was on the platform and potentially threatening Kagome.

" 'Akitoki'? That's a strange greeting," said the boy with a friendly smile on his face.

"Thought you were someone else," mumbled Inuyasha before turning his face away.

"It's an unusual name," mused the boy. "I think my family tree has an 'Akitoki' on it. Hey wait, you're Pekopon from the play!"

"What?" asked Inuyasha with surprise.

"At the culture festival last year! We never rehearsed together, I guess Eri put you in last minute. It turned out awesome, though! But no one knows why the stage was blown up."

Inuyasha stared at him.

"My name's Houjou. What's yours?"

"It's none of your business," said Inuyasha.

"Aren't you a friend of Hirgurashi Kagome's? I think I've seen you with her," said Houjou, his cheeks reddening slightly.

"What's your relationship to Kagome?" asked Inuyasha with narrowed eyes.

"I—I don't know," said Houjou, blushing even deeper. "I'm rather fond of her…wait, aren't you living with her on exchange from Australia?"

"Yeah, I am. Go on, and don't change the subject."

"I guess you didn't know her when she was young," said Houjou with a smile. Inuyasha's ears twitched under the yarmulke with curiosity. "I myself didn't meet her until junior high school. I heard she was strong for a girl. Not physically, I mean, but on the playground she'd always stand up to bullies who were hurting others. Even if she didn't know the kid she was standing up for. She got a beat up a few times, I heard-" Inuyasha ground his teeth and growled a bit at that part. "-and yeah, I didn't like hearing that either, but more often than not the bullies were so impressed by her display that they just generally left her alone. Her friends—Eri, Yuka, and Ayumi—were all victims of bullies and sort of started to follow her."

"Did they follow her for protection?" he asked.

"No, more for friendship, I think," he said pensively. _Sounds like Kagome_, thought Inuyasha, impressed by Houjou's story. The more he thought about it, the more he realized how strong Kagome actually was. The casual onlooker to any of their battles might have said Kagome was a liability and that Inuyasha often had to interrupt his concentration and take Kagome to a safe spot. Kagome's arrows more often than not missed their marks and she was always calling on Inuyasha to save her. But Inuyasha knew better. He'd never admit it, but sometimes he became afraid of an opponent, if only for a fraction of an instant, remembering back to his childhood where he'd had to fight off wild youkai much larger than him to survive or new moon nights when he couldn't get to his hiding place fast enough. The youkai would say something that would bring this back: the fact that he was a hanyou, or that he would be alone, or that maybe it was really just not his day. Then Kagome would give a rousing shout at the youkai to back off and leave them alone, that the youkai was stupid and underestimated Inuyasha. Her words were often just what he needed to get going. She often did come through in the clutch with her arrows, as well. Her strength was unwavering, no matter how weak she was; she always though of everyone and their safety first.

"She's amazing," Houjou sighed, bringing Inuyasha out of his Kagome reverie. "She's brilliant—I mean, her grades don't reflect it, and she's sick so often. But she had straight A's before she started getting sick. She used to be a football demon, but not since she's been sick. We hung out a lot—I mean, that is-"

"You hung out a lot before she got sick," Inuyasha finished for him. 'Sick', Kagome had told him, was the code word for 'searching for jewel shards in the Sengoku Jidai'. Kagome had given up a lot to be with him.

"Yeah. But one thing that her sickness didn't change is that she's still kind of pretty," said Houjou wistfully. Inuyasha turned a cold gaze onto Houjou, and he wondered if Houjou's face could turn anymore red.

"You shouldn't start a sentence with the word 'but'," Inuyasha growled. "It's grammatically incorrect."

"Sorry," mumbled Houjou. "I'll remember that."

Inuyasha looked toward the front of the room, hoping to end the conversation, but the baka just kept pushing it.

"So you like Kagome, too?"

"That's a stupid thing to say," said Inuyasha, looking away.

"Oh. Well, at any rate, you're lucky, you know? You _live _with her. In the same house!"

Inuyasha didn't get a chance to respond because of the bell ringing, indicating the start of class.

Kagome and Inuyasha were reunited in Chemistry class. Inuyasha's nose was twitching all hour from the unfamiliar smells of chemicals. They had a stroke of luck and were able to select their own lab partners. Kagome and Inuyasha were instantly by each other's sides, the first to be paired. Eri went with Yuka, and other pairs slowly began forming.

After choosing a partner, they began a lab safety speech.

"I don't need any googles," said Inuyasha out loud after the teacher announced the mandatory standard. "Nothing in this lab can hurt _me_."

"_Osuwari_," Kagome whispered. Once again, Inuyasha somehow managed to trip while sitting in a desk, smacking his face on the desktop. The whole class laughed and she could feel Inuyasha's wrath in the look he shot at her.

"I beg to differ, Mr. Yasha," said the instructor, forcing himself not to smile. "_Goggles_ are for everyone, as you have clearly demonstrated."

"That's the third time you've sat me today," growled Inuyasha after class as they walked to Japanese Composition. "Knock it off, wench. You're humiliating me."

"Maybe you need to be humiliated," Kagome said angrily. "Quit talking in class, and just follow the rules, and I won't say the word."

"You know Houjou?" asked Inuyasha. Kagome nearly tripped from surprise.

"Y-yeah," said Kagome. "What about Houjou-kun?"

"He looks just like Akitoki."

"Yeah, I know. Akitoki is his ancestor."

"I knew that, baka," snapped Inuyasha. "I was just saying it. Anyway, he remembered me from the battle with the himono youkai."

"He—he wasn't suspicious, was he?" she asked tentatively.

"Nah. He's a baka, if you ask me."

"Inuyasha!" Kagome scolded. "Houjou-kun's really nice. He was always bringing me treatments for my fake illnesses and tutoring me when I got behind. He's smart, too—he was in an advanced math class, after all."

"Do you love him?" asked Inuyasha sharply.

"What?" asked Kagome, and this time she really did trip. Inuyasha caught her however, just before she fell over. "Why—why do you ask such a thing?"

"I—I…just answer the question, dammit," said Inuyasha angrily. Kagome felt her own anger rise to match his. How two-faced was that? She'd _never_ put him on the spot and ask if he loved Kikyou or not.

"It's none of your business, Inuyasha. I can love whoever I want."

"Whomever," he muttered.

"What?"

"I can love 'whomever' I want."

"Shut up!" she snapped. "Quit doing that." She began to walk quickly. Inuyasha was annoyed and didn't go after her at first, confident he could follow her scent. However, there were so many people jostling him he couldn't get near the ground to sniff her out. Her scent in the air was lost with everyone else's and he had no idea how to get to his last two classes.

"Dammit," he murmured to himself. He had nowhere to go except back to the Higurashi's. He had no idea how to get to the next class.

He was hesitant to leave Kagome at school, but figured she'd be fine. All those humans could protect their fortress of a school (it was unseemly how strong of a building it was, made of those 'bricks') and Kagome with it. He bounded back to the shrine and went inside to see Mrs. Higurashi preparing a meat course for dinner.

"Back so soon, Inuyasha?" asked Mrs. Higurashi, checking the clock. "I thought school didn't get out for another two hours."

"Hie," mumbled Inuyasha. "Kagome got mad at me, so I figured I'd come back here."

"Well, I guess just for today you can come home early," she said wither her genuine, loving mother smile. It made Inuyasha feel a little fuzzy inside, although he quickly smashed the feeling with an iron fist. "Souta's home from school already, why don't you spend some time with him?"

"Sure thing," Inuyasha said, surprised at her mercy and lack of anger. How could this possibly be the same mother of the hot-tempered Kagome that he had always fought with? As soon as he got into Kagome's room, he changed back into his red robes, ripped off the skull cap and went into Souta's room.

"Whatcha doing, kid?" he asked, standing in the doorway.

"Inu-no-nii-chan!" exclaimed Souta. He was sitting on the carpet, a plastic device in his hand that was hooked up to the funny box with the moving pictures. "You're home early! Come play this video game with me."

"Okay," said Inuyasha, sitting down. A plastic machine identical to Souta's was thrust into his hands. He watched as the pictures and characters on the screen flicked by with speed as Souta set up the game. He examined the device: there were a few circles and a stick that could wiggled around. Souta gave him a quick tutorial on how to use it.

They began the game. Inuyasha had a little car that he drove around a track. Souta passed him three times and won the race with Inuyasha in last place. Inuyasha had crashed four times (this was further proof that Kagome had no business being in a car).

"That was stupid," said Inuyasha.

"How about this one?" asked Souta, pulling out a Mario Party game.

"What's with this drawing?" asked Inuyasha. "His eyes are all big and freaky. I mean, look how big his head is compared to his body. He can't even stand up right."

"It's called 'anime', Inu-no-nii-chan. It's just a cartoon."

"Sounds retarded." He threw the game aside.

"How about this game?" Souta asked, rummaging through his pile and producing a football game.

"What? That sport is stupid enough in real life. I'm not staring at a box and playing it, too."

"Well…" Souta said, looking anxiously at the door. It was open a crack. "I have one game you might like, but you have to keep it a secret from Mom, okay? Promise?"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Souta dug to bottom of the pile and pulled out a game with a red and black case. On the cover it said _Carnal Rampage 2: Return of the Bloodthirsty Antichrist_.

"This is a _game?_" asked Inuyasha, his eyes wide. "This is what you do for fun?"

"Well, Mom would be mad if she knew I played it," said Souta nervously.

"Put the thing in," Inuyasha said aggressively. "I will dominate you." The game got underway. Souta had the lead in the RPG, but Inuyasha quickly excelled, timing his moves perfectly. He had been half afraid he would break the controller, as he did with a great wealth of Kagome's belongings, but now he realized his nimble, strong fingers possibly were created for the sole purpose of playing video games.

"Wow, you're so good," said Souta enviously. "I wish I was as good as you…"

"Why?" asked Inuyasha as he smashed two zombies with one fatal swing.

"Then all the guys at school would respect me more," he grumbled.

"Who doesn't respect you?" asked Inuyasha, pausing the game.

"Stupid…bullies…" Souta murmured.

"What about Hitomi, or what's her face," he added quickly. "Your mate."

"She…she told me I'm not her boyfriend anymore," he said, his eyes welling up with tears. "I couldn't stand up to the bullies. I'm not strong like Neechan. Hitomi-chan said she couldn't be the girlfriend of a man who can't face bullies."

"She's right," said Inuyasha confidently.

"Inu-no-nii-chan? You think I'm weak, too?" he asked. He looked as though he were close to tears.

"You can stand up to bullies. If a weakling like Kagome can do it, so can you, kid."

"But…I don't…I don't want to get hurt. I'm kind of small." Souta looked down, hugging his knees.

Without a moment's notice, Inuyasha slapped him upside the head, hard.

"Owwwww!" Souta wailed, looking hurt. "That stings!"

"Wait," said Inuyasha. "Does it hurt as much as when I first did it?"

"No," said Souta, holding his head.

"It probably hurts less…now."

"Yeah," said Souta, removing his hand.

"Pain is only in a moment. You can't be afraid of it. Be afraid of losing your fight, if anything. Think about what you will lose. If I got punched in the face, I'd be more worried if Kagome's safe. That's the way it works. And the more punches you can take, the tougher you'll be. Kagome's been beat up before too. And you're your sister's brother, so you can do it, too."

"I am a Higurashi!" proclaimed Souta. "Say, Inu-no-nii-chan, could you teach me to be tough like you? I know you taught me Sankoutessou, but I'm not sure that's the right attack for me."

Inuyasha surveyed the eight-year-old before nodding his approval.

"I can, Higurashi no Souta, but I must have your word you will not become a murderer."

"A… murderer? No! Never."

"Hie! Then we'll get started tomorrow."

"Souta?" asked Kagome from the door, peering in. School must have been out for half an hour now, if she was home. Had they really been playing for two and a half hours? She looked at the TV screen. "Souta, you're not supposed to play that game, you know that. Don't encourage him, Inuyasha!" she warned as Inuyasha made motions to protest. He decided to let it go, not wanting to incense Kagome for the fourth time that day.

Instead, he stood up to follow Kagome wherever she chose to go.

"Arigatou, Inu-no-nii-chan!" Souta called after him.

"What did you say to him?" asked Kagome. "He's been kind of sullen for awhile. He seems cheerful now."

"Just man stuff."

"Oh, okay," said Kagome with a smile. She walked into her room and dropped her book bag on the floor near the foot of her bed. She went to her desk and started on her Japanese Composition assignment that Inuyasha had missed. She handed him a copy of the assignment. "I think that's really nice of you to spend time with my brother."

"Well, you're pissed off at me half of the time." He surveyed the paper he had taken from her. He rummaged around in her backpack for paper and a pen. He decided against it and just laid back on her bed, closing his eyes.

"Am not," she said, her heart not really in the argument. "Well, you do tend to kind of make me mad. But you say so many rude things. Any normal person would be mad. I mean, if I had to compare your rudeness to someone else's vices, I would say you are as rude as Miroku is fond of women. It's something for you to work on. I mean, you could start referring to others with their given titles. Saying 'arigatou' once in awhile wouldn't kill you. Then there's common decency, like opening doors for ladies and such. Oh, you'll never get to that point, what am I saying…"

"Zzzz," Inuyasha responded, passed out on Kagome's bed.

---

You know the drill. Read, review. Thanks much.

-The Red Snowsled.


	6. 6 Sleep Walk

Thanks to Purple Crush, Inu-mimi, Rosecat, and Tsubaki the Dark Priestess for their reviews.

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Chapter 6 Sleep Walk

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After the first week, Inuyasha and Kagome fell into a comfortable rhythm in school. Inuyasha couldn't help but show off in gym class, resulting in his drafting onto the school's football team and tennis team. Kagome went to watch him at all of his practices. Often Eri, Yuka, and/or Ayami tagged along to watch.

"He's so strong," Yuka appraisingly, as he served the tennis ball with roaring speed.

"You're so lucky, Kagome-chan," sighed Eri. "He's _so _cute when he's playing sports. I bet he's showing off just for you."

"I'm kind of surprised," said Kagome, watching him dart back and forth from one side of the court to the other with his easy quickness. "I never though he'd like sports. I mean, I used to play ball with Shippou-chan and he'd never-"

"Shippou? Who is Shippou?" asked Ayami.

"Shippou is…Inuyasha's younger brother," Kagome paraphrased. "He's a trickster. But we'd play ball and Inuyasha always refused to join us." She suddenly remembered him telling her once that he'd had bad memories about playing kemari.

"Inuyasha has a _brother_? Is he as handsome, too?" asked Eri. The four girls giggled.

"No, no, Shippou is little," said Kagome. She couldn't very well say young, because Shippou had once told her he was about five times her age. "He does have an older brother, Sesshoumaru."

"Sesshoumaru?" the girls asked. Eri sighed. "He sounds so good-looking."

"I guess so," said Kagome with surprise. "I never thought of him that way. He's…not exactly the dating type. He's very reserved and maybe stronger than Inuyasha. He doesn't say much."

"I wish I could see him," Eri said enviously. Kagome didn't add that if Sesshoumaru ever caught Eri fawning over him he would probably hold her at sword-point.

"He could be horrible, Eri-chan," Yuka said, as if reading Kagome's mind. "Kagome-chan would know. Is he a delinquent like Inuyasha?"

"Yes," said Kagome with a funny grin. She tried to imagine someone calling Sesshoumaru a delinquent and not getting their head chopped off. "Definitely a delinquent."

The girls conversed about Australian boys and delinquents while they kicked off their shoes and socks to cool their feet under the warm summer sun. It had been a long time since Kagome had relaxed like this. It was true that Sango was very close to her. Her best girlfriend, anyone would say. But Sango knew nothing of training bras, the four basic flavors of lip gloss (cherry, grape, bubble gum and orange), Brad Pitt or karaoke. She had not giggled so much in years.

The girls quieted and decided to tan their forearms and legs. They took off their scarves and rolled up their sleeves, relaxing against the cool grass. Kagome sat up and looked around for a moment, watching Inuyasha. He met her gaze. She blushed and looked away, but watched as he served perfectly and with break-neck speed. _Show-off_, she thought fondly before she tried to tan again. The Shikon no Tama sparkled in the afternoon sun.

---

Kagome tapped her foot waiting for Inuyasha. All of the boys on the tennis team came out of the locker room. Some of them winked or waved at her, but she just smiled and clenched her teeth, wondering when the stupid kid would get done.

"Took you long enough," she sighed as he came out. His silver hair was drenched to a dark gray.

"I don't like your waterfall baths," he grumbled. "Especially in with all those other guys."

"You don't mind bathing with Miroku-sama," Kagome frowned. "Why can't you shower with the team?"

"Bathing with one lech is bad enough," he complained. "All they talk about is women. Like I care."

"At least you play really well. Your serve is awesome, Inuyasha."

"Keh. What did you expect, that I'd fall on my face?" he asked with a self-satisfied smirk.

"I don't know, I've never seen you play sports, except during gym class." They left the school grounds and walked down the streets of Tokyo toward the city bus stop. Inuyasha's ears and nose twitched at the sounds and smells but he was otherwise focused on their conversation.

"How could you doubt?" he asked with proud look. "I'm stronger than anyone in this world and the other one."

"Sports isn't all strength. There's timing, speed, teamwork, and accuracy, too."

"I bet that's what the girls say to themselves. When I heard there was a girl's sports team, I knew they only played against other girls because the boy's team would probably kill them."

"_What_?" Kagome asked furiously. "Girls can be just as good as boys at sports. Shows how much you know!"

"Oh yeah?" he asked smugly. "Name one thing _you _can beat _me_ at."

Kagome gave it some thought before she came up with her answer.

"Table tennis," she said with a cheerful smile. "I can whip your tail any day at ping-pong. Just ask Houjo-kun how badly I beat him last year at the tournament."

"Table tennis?" he asked with his eyebrow raised. "What kind of baka thing is that?"

"You'll see. When the tournament comes, I will waste you, Inuyasha."

"Did you just threaten me, bitch?" he asked tersely. "Because you will eat your words, so you'll wish they'd been sweeter."

"Wanna make a bet on it?" she asked.

"A what?"

"A bet. A wager," she said. The bus rumbled up to the stop. Kagome paid their fare. Inuyasha twitched at the sight of the giant machine and stayed close behind Kagome to protect her. They boarded and Kagome sat towards the bus.

"It…it rumbles," Inuyasha said, crouching on his plastic seat, sitting on his haunches, growling in response to the low hum of the engine. Some of the people stared and a child in the front giggled. Kagome blushed and tugged on Inuyasha's sleeve to get him to sit normally.

"Did you hear me?" she asked quickly to distract him. "I want to make a wager with you on the outcome of our future table tennis match."

"Oh?" he asked. "What are the terms?"

"If I win…"Kagome thought. What could she make Inuyasha do that he didn't do regularly? Be polite? Too vague, and no fun, anyway. "You will call me Mistress Kagome-sama and be my slave for a week."

"Feh," Inuyasha said with distaste. "If I win, you can't 'sit' me for a whole month."

"Fine by me," Kagome sighed. "Not that it matters. It's going to be fun not having to do the dishes after dinner. I'll have a half an hour of free time."

"You wish. It'll be nice for my face to have some down-time because you abuse it so much. When is this tournament anyway?"

"Well, it's usually held around Christmastime or so, so you'll have plenty of time to practice. If you want a prayer you'll need to."

"Keh. Whatever. I don't know when I'll be able to. I have practice for the soccer team tomorrow after school."

"What?" asked Kagome. "You're on the soccer team too?"

"The gym teacher asked me to. It says so on this ofuda." He gave Kagome the piece of paper to look at. She heard herself correct him that it wasn't a spell, just a message. She read it over. He had also been conscripted to the cross country team.

"You're going to be so busy!" she exclaimed. "Momma, Souta and Jii-chan will all want to come watch you play."

"They will? Why?" he asked.

"That's what families do, silly," Kagome said. She folded the paper with a small blush and smiled at him. "If you haven't figured it out by now by the name he gives you, Souta thinks of you as a brother. Momma and Jii-chan see you as a second son and grandson."

"W-why?" he asked, flabbergasted. "What'd I do? It's not like I saved them or anything. They don't owe me anything. They don't need to do all that."

"It's because you protect me. So they love you."

"I—I…don't know…that's stupid," he finished lamely. "No one should worry about me. Not you or your family."

"Give it up, Inuyasha," Kagome said as they stepped off the bus. It had rolled up to the curb at the foot of the stairs to the shrine. "You're practically a Higurashi now."

---

Kagome reread the instructions at the beginning of the section again. She should have covered this last year partially.

_But I wasn't there last year_, she sighed mentally. She went back a few chapters and did a few problems to practice. Math was the worst. It was laborious and tedious to learn two years of math at the same time. _Why does 'x' always change? Why can't it just stay one number, like four or something? _Kagome thought.

She turned back to the original assignments, thirty problems due the next day. All motivation drained out of her and she closed the book, pushing it onto the ground off her desk. She realized that Inuyasha was probably more than capable of tutoring her, but she would rather endure Miroku's lecherous butt-grab than the arrogant look on her hanyou's face as he taunted her for not learning her lessons properly.

She turned out her bedroom light and wondered where Inuyasha was. He usually didn't watch TV, it made his sensitive eyes hurt, he claimed. Then she saw a flash of red on the ground below her house. She sat on her windowsill and watched.

"Are you going to teach me how to throw a punch?" asked Souta eagerly. Although it was dark, it was not hard to see the gleam of excitement in his eyes.

"No way," said Inuyasha, cracking his knuckles. "First things first. You need to know how to take a hit."

"What do you mean, Inu-no-nii-chan?" asked Souta.

"You're gonna get slapped around, kid. Get ready." Inuyasha rushed swiftly and knocked Souta to the ground.

"Owww!" he whined, examining his knee. "That hurt!"

"Get up."

"My knee still hurts."

"Up, kid. You always get up, no matter how bad it hurts. Sometimes how fast you get up determines who wins the fight. As long you're up, you haven't lost."

Souta nodded, and shifted his weight to his other leg and stood up shakily. As soon as he had planted his foot, Inuyasha pushed him over again.

"Up."

Souta rose, fell, rose, fell. They repeated the exercise several times. Kagome understood what Inuyasha was doing; Souta had probably asked for his advice again. Unlike the last time when he sought love-life rescue, Souta had gone to the right person when he had asked Inuyasha for help in self-defense. Inuyasha was a great warrior, but was he an equally apt sensei? Kagome was afraid he was pushing Souta too hard. She was one push away from going downstairs and telling them to call it quits when Inuyasha let him alone.

"I'm not going to push you again because I know you'll just keep getting up. That's good. We'll meet again tomorrow." Souta began to limp toward the door. Kagome almost ran downstairs to help him, but smiled when she saw Inuyasha support him with his arm and helped him upstairs.

Kagome pretended to be asleep when Inuyasha came into her room. She wondered if he could tell the difference with his senses, but he made no motion to wake her. He quietly laid down on his cot and drifted off to sleep as soon as he hit the mattress.

---

That night Kagome had a strange dream. Dreams were unusual for Kagome and she had the tendency to not forget them when she awoke. She had had nightmares about ghoulish youkai from her grandfather's stories when she was small and had always run into her mother's arms at night where she would calm down. The nightmares had stopped when she was older and any sort of nighttime irregularity had almost ceased altogether.

In her dream state, she was in a cave. It had wards hanging on a string outside. She recognized the cave and the nearby village, but couldn't put her finger on exactly where she was. It was a dark night, without a single star or lantern and only a sliver of the moon to light her way. She felt herself stand up and walk slowly and cautiously into the cave.

Down, down, down through the cave…a bright blue light was coming up from somewhere deep inside, something out of place and holy in this beast of a cavern. She was falling now toward the light.

"_Kagome, do you know who I am?" _the light asked. Kagome had heard the voice before. It was a soothing voice, as though a protector were introducing herself. It was a female voice, confident and strong, yet struggling. It filled Kagome with a sort of hope inside the darkness.

"Yes!" Kagome answered into the depths. "And no…"

"_Kagome, you need to wake up._" The female voice began to zone into a male voice.

"What?"

"_Kagome, you're dreaming. Wake up._" The male voice was all too familiar and she knew better than to not obey. She opened her eyes slightly and realized she was face-planted into Inuyasha's red haori, her hands clutching a handful of fabric each. He was holding her upright slightly.

"Wha-what?" asked Kagome. "Inuyasha. What are you doing here?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I doing here?' You almost got yourself killed tripping down the stairs, baka. You were sleepwalking."

"Why?" she asked, letting go of his robe and rubbing her eyes. He let go of her and let her stand on her own.

"How the hell should I know? You just got out of bed. Your footsteps woke me up but your eyes were closed, so I knew something was up. I caught you just before you smashed your skull against the floor."

"Was I really sleepwalking?" she asked. "That's never happened to me before." She frowned and rubbed her eyes some more to get used to the dark.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah," she said. "Let's go back to bed, Inuyasha. It's still early in the morning." They climbed back up the stairs. Inuyasha was step by step behind her.

"Kagome…what were you dreaming about?" he asked when they reentered her room. Kagome crawled under her covers once again.

"Huh?"

"In your dream, you called out 'yes and no'. What does that mean?"

"I…I don't know. I don't remember at all. Good night, Inuyasha." She was asleep once more after a few moments of silence. Inuyasha's yellow flashing eyes remained open from the remainder of the night, making sure Kagome had no more nighttime wanderings.

---

A week from then, on a Friday, the last Friday of the month, was Inuyasha's first tennis match. As Kagome had expected, Momma, Souta and her grandfather all fawned over Inuyasha with pride.

"I've saved your life countless times and they're all worked up over this?" he asked as he wiped Mrs. Higurashi's lipstick off his face, but he glowed slightly with pleasure. They walked toward the bus stop at the bottom of the stairs to the shrine.

"Sports are a big deal in this time period, for some reason. If you become a skilled athlete, you can become very wealthy."

"Seriously?" Inuyasha. "I can make money from hitting a ball around?"

"Yeah, I know. The logic escapes me."

"I'm thinking the lecher Miroku would like this place." Inuyasha never bothered to walk down the steps. In a single bound he had scaled them and landed easily at the bottom.

"Do _you_ like it?" she asked when she got to the bottom of the stairs.

"Keh. I'm fine anywhere. Doesn't matter."

"I don't know whether I like it better here or in the Sengoku Jidai. I mean, here, there's all sorts of great stuff. There's music, video games, Tamagochis, and shampoo. I can take a shower whenever. I can see my friends at school. Heck, free education is great too. Life here's definitely easier."

"I didn't ask for you opinion," Inuyasha said, annoyed, mostly because he was impatient for the bus.

"And my family is in this time period," Kagome went on. "I guess that's the only reason I come back here. The Sengoku Jidai has our friends, though. I don't know if I could go the rest of my life without seeing Sango, Miroku, Shippou and Kaede again."

"Yeah," Inuyasha said, but his misty-looking eyes told Kagome he was thinking of someone else he would miss, a certain dead miko.

"But the Sengoku Jidai doesn't have indoor plumbing!" she said quickly, not wanting to ruin her day by thinking about Kikyou. "There's no toilet paper. And I can only take a bath every other day. If I were to stay forever there, I'd probably outgrow my school uniform and have to start wearing something else. All these things, I've never said them out loud before."

"I wish you'd shut up," said Inuyasha.

"Don't interrupt, I'm not done talking yet," Kagome continued, ignoring him. "I guess…I like both places equally. I couldn't pick one or the other."

"That's what you said five minutes ago. You've been saying nothing for five minutes."

"Well, if you didn't like what I was saying, why didn't you ask me to be quiet?" she asked.

"I did!" he protested angrily. "I _said-_"

"Oh, look. Bus." Kagome peered down the street as the bus rumbled up toward them. Inuyasha looked dumbstruck as she looked at him. "Well don't just stand there Inuyasha, get on the bus. It's not going to wait all day."

---

Chapter 7 will be up soon. Review please if you liked it or hated it.


	7. 7 Goshinboku

Thanks to all you who reviewed. Your words are always appreciated.

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Chapter 7

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It was October by the time Inuyasha's first football match rolled around. He'd already had several matches of tennis that month and late September. Kagome reasoned with herself that although she didn't like Inuyasha's overt display of his supernatural strength, he needed to channel his aggression into something productive, which had formerly been slaying vicious youkai. It had been her experience that when Inuyasha was denied a fight for a long period of time he became tetchy and irritable, snapping at everyone and beating on everyone he allowed himself to (i.e., Shippou and Miroku). If she forbade him from playing sports, he would probably become so unbearably hostile that she'd have to throw him out of the house for several days, and who knew what kind of trouble that would cause?

"Souta, why do those boys keep looking over at you?" asked Kagome questioningly. The siblings sat on the bench in the stands, waiting for Inuyasha's game to start. Their mother and grandfather had gone to go get snacks and the two had been left alone to get comfy. Souta's mind seemed to be preoccupied by a small gang of fourth graders that grinned not very kindly toward the younger Higurashi.

"No reason," he mumbled. Kagome shrugged and focused on the field, watching the players warm up. She blushed slightly when she remembered watching the boys of the upper class playing sports last year. Her puppy-crush on Houjou-kun before her Sengoku Jidai adventures had caused her to watch him practice for hours after school, giggling with her friends about their favorite players and arguing why one was cuter than the other. Kagome had always picked Houjou until now.

However, Kagome couldn't even treat herself to admiring Inuyasha stretch because he didn't bother warming up with the rest of the team. Although they looked slightly irked at his refusal, no one, not even the coach, was going to call him on it. A good growl or two convinced the referees that they were, in fact, incorrect in their original assumptions that yarmulkes were not proper attire for football. She was glad he didn't push it with the rosary, however. He had tucked it safely under his jersey.

As the players positioned themselves on the field, Kagome looked around for her mother and grandfather. She saw they were coming with the sodas and popcorn, but a strange pair of fellows caught her eye.

They did not look like high school football spectators. One of them wore a very professional-looking business suit and carried a notepad, looking attentive to the action on the field. The other was obviously the superior, his eyes covered by sunglasses, although the light was not so harsh that they were need. He wore a black jacket, gray pants and was leaning forward, also intent on the game. _Are they talent scouts or something? _She wondered offhandedly. Kagome's attention was plucked from the strange watchers and set back to her family as she took the diet orange soda from her mother and concentrated on the game.

Inuyasha played center forward for the first half of the game. Kagome saw how easily he handled the ball, even after so few practices. She knew he had been a skillful kemari player in his youth, but she had never made the connection between football and kemari. However, he had a long way to go by way of cooperation and teamwork, seeing as he declined to pass even once to his teammates. Instead, he preferred to bypass his opponents until the ball was eventually stolen from him. Once this happened, his body language indicated he was angry, to an almost comical level, at the defender, and whizzed back to steal the ball once more and attempt a goal as a loan striker.

"_Pass_, Inuyasha!" Kagome called out, joining the cheers of the crowd. "Quit being a ball hog!"

"Kagome, don't talk to me, I'm trying to play!" he shouted back to her, completely stopping to face her. Kagome had forgotten that Inuyasha always paid rapt attention to her when she had something to shout at him in action, usually to alert him to something. It had backfired on her here, when she had only meant to call to him in a general sense. In that time, another player had trapped the ball again and made off with it. "See what you did!"

Kagome blushed a radiant red as the crowd turned its scrutiny on her for a moment. She decided for once to take Inuyasha's advice and simply watched the match. It was difficult to force herself to relax while she watched him. It was like observing him battle a particularly difficult opponent with a jewel shard. She wanted to call out to him at every moment, to tell him where the shard was, where to direct his blows, to tell him to get up when he was down and to make sure he didn't turn into his full-youkai form. She knew the truth; he was a pretty lousy fighter when she wasn't there to help him. It was the reason he had seen it as a necessity for her to stay with him. He simply wasn't his best without her. It gave her a funny feeling inside, both ha-ha and strange.

On his sixth try, Inuyasha scored a goal. Some of the parents were getting angry because of the fact that Inuyasha retained possession of the ball for about 50 of the playing time and refused to pass even at perfect opportunities. By half-time, the score was 1-2, and the advantage was their opponent's.

"He's so selfish," Souta sighed.

"He thinks he knows what's best," sighed Kagome, shaking her head.

Inuyasha was put in on defense for the second half. Nothing got by him. He was yellow-carded twice for rough play, however, much to everyone's chagrin. He also tripped over himself several times because of his awkwardness in cleats, but he got back up and made any save he needed to. It never got near the goalie once the whole second half. The forward strikers were able to scrap one more goal, tying up the game.

After the Higurashis and Inuyasha arrived back at the shrine, Kagome and Inuyasha were left with an afternoon of nothing to do. Souta busied himself in the dooryard practicing his defensive poses while Mrs. Higurashi and Jii-chan prepared for dinner.

Inuyasha leapt into the tree and left Kagome on the ground to look up at him.

"What are you looking at?"

"This city…Tokyo, it's called here, right? There's a great view here…this part of Goshinboku has been cleared away, I can see pretty far."

"I've never climbed that high before. I wish I could see it," Kagome said wistfully, craning her neck. On the ground she could see a couple of roofs of buildings, but little more from her view.

"What a whiner," Inuyasha muttered. He kicked his legs over the limb he was sitting on and landed on the ground with little more than a small 'thud'. He wrapped his arms around Kagome's waist and jumped again, bounding off a low branch and rocketing high into the sacred tree. _How high could this tree grow?_ Kagome wondered as the air rushed through her hair, the sun shining into her face. _I've never really thought about it_.

Inuyasha went even higher than he was before onto an unusually wide bough towards the top. He leaned against the tree and tucked Kagome between his legs. As the back of her shoulders touched his chest, she felt all the tension in them dissipate immediately, as though she had received a four-hour Swedish massage. His arms were still holding her close to him. She felt his cheek rest against her forehead and she wondered if there was a more serene and comforting place on the entire face of the world than in the Goshinboku, held safely by her protector, Inuyasha.

Not only that, but she was permitted to see the city from the birds' perspective. The skyscrapers poked the clouds most rudely and the buildings flashed with bright lights and advertisements, while apartment buildings were quiet on a Saturday afternoon. The air of the city seemed cleaner to her, nurtured and veiled by the leaves from all angles except outwards toward the city.

"I want to rematch our enemies," Inuyasha said. "A draw is unacceptable."

"I think you need to work on your skills, Inuyasha," Kagome said. "If you passed more, you could have won."

"What?" he asked, but it was not his usual startled expression, as though she'd just told him he'd failed his college entrance exams. He, too, was feeling the calmness.

"You have to rely on your teammates. It's no different than fighting a difficult demon with Sango and Miroku. You have to trust them to be capable."

"They're mostly not incompetent," he muttered (a compliment of highest esteem). Kagome liked this sort of arguing. His words were coarse, but he never pushed her away or did anything to suggest she revolted him. Instead he pressed her a little closer to him.

"Then why don't you pass to them?"

"Well, how do I know if they're going to pass back?" he asked.

"It's a give-take relationship. If you don't pass to them, they won't pass to you. But if you do, they'll do as well. You get what you give. You're a good football player, Inuyasha, but you can't play by yourself. Understand?"

"Keh. I guess."

Kagome was about to ask about Souta and Inuyasha's nighttime lessons but then she discovered it: the Kagome-sized cushion of Inuyasha's torso. She leaned back and slid down further, resting the side her face against the rough Robe of the Firerat. She curled up slightly and let her arm snake up to his chest. _How _many uncomfortable nights had she slept on hard, cold ground in her sleeping bag, when she might have slept like this, his soft body providing more relief than the most luxurious mattress? It might have made her angry if she hadn't felt like a tiny baby nestled a warm blanket.

"I remember what that dream was now," Kagome whispered softly, her eyes closing. How did she get so sleepy so quickly? "It was…"

"What?" asked Inuyasha, cocking his head to the side. "What was it?"

"Zzzzz," replied Kagome. She went slack in his arms, which he quickly took up.

"Baka. Already asleep in the afternoon," Inuyasha said tenderly.

Kagome reentered her dreamscape. Twice in such a short time—she knew this was no coincidence. She was once again in the cave outside of the somewhat familiar village. She was definitely in the Sengoku Jidai in the dream, she knew that now.

She began to go down the cave toward the familiar blue light. All was darkness but the blue light. Was Inuyasha near? It grew brighter as she wound her way down the tunnels and between the walls.

"_Kagome_," the voice called to her. It was the strong female voice. "_Come._"

"Hie," Kagome replied in a whisper. She continued to the voice. She began remembering the village. The way the huts were arranged, the mass grave outside…she had helped dig those graves and had gathered flowers for them. She had done so for many villages, sorrowfully, but this one was different. _Sango_, Kagome thought. _It reminds me of Sango…_

Kagome finally reached the end of the tunnels. She was standing on a large ledge over a black pit that emitted the blue like a tiny searchlight. She looked closely and there were two bright blue lights, actually.

"_Kagome, I'm down here_," the voice cam from the lights. "_Jump down. You'll be safe, I promise_."

"Okay," Kagome said. "I'll jump." She felt calm as she leapt off the ledge. She felt as though someone had caught her before her body had been dashed and destroyed on the rocks below.

But there were no rocks, only a great littering amount of bones, the bones of youkai. _This is the cave,_ Kagome thought with a sudden surge of memory. _The cave near the exterminator's village, where Sango lived. This is where the Shikon no Tama originated._

_Then that means this is_…

"I am Midoriko," said the warrior priestess. Kagome's eyes spied the perpetual combat stance of the miko and the youkai. They were forever battling, frozen in place. Good and evil, at war on land and in the hearts of men.

Midoriko had left her stationary body and stood beside herself in spirit. The blue lights were the youki emitting from her eyes. Sango was one of the most athletic and beautiful women Kagome knew—Sango could easily have been a model, if not a supermodel, in Kagome's time. Kagome found herself often envious in an amicable sort of way about Sango's lithe, strong figure and smooth, hourglass curves that were the constant distraction and fascination of their dear houshi. Kagome often thought that if she looked like Sango, Inuyasha would never look at Kikyou again. But Kagome saw that Sango had nothing on Midoriko. Midoriko had the body of an Amazon queen, covered in a thin armor. Her shoulders looked as if they could bear the world. Her taut legs stood solid against anything. Midoriko seemed as though she could kill anything, be it man, woman or youkai. But a large hole remained in her breast that Kagome could see clean through.

"Hello," Kagome replied nervously. She felt really ugly. Maybe not as ugly as when she was around Kikyou, but still ugly and undeveloped, feeling the shame of her training bra and weak, stick-like little body.

"My soul resides with you," Midoriko said, nodding to Kagome. "I am indebted to you for your protection."

"I-It's nothing, really," Kagome said, reddening. "Just a jewel. And I'm sorry for breaking it and creating all the shards."

"The past is the past, and you are my sister. You sought the fragments of my soul out, even when you could have been safe with your family in the future time. We are miko," said Midoriko. "Did you know I was the first miko?"

"No, I didn't. I don't know much about being a miko."

"I was—_am _the first miko. May I tell you my story?" Midoriko asked.

"Sure," said Kagome. "If you want to." Midoriko sat down and Kagome followed suit.

"I was very young when I found out I had powers unlike any boy or girl in my village," said Midoriko. She closed her eyes, as if watching a movie in her head. "Wolves, ordinary ones, had plagued our village for a month. One night they attacked the farm home that I lived in with my mother and father. They were the ones who witnessed my killing of the wolf by supernatural means.

"I was held in high regard by my village. They wanted to make me a houshi, a woman houshi, but it was unheard of. I became the human goddess—a miko of divine power. I developed my abilities and my physical strength. I protected my village, rooted out hostile youkai, and began to roam the lands and slay youkai that hurt humans. Adored by all I saved, I did not yearn for more than that. I can honestly say I felt enough love from the gratitude of my people to sustain my cause. I needed no affection from individuals and did not crave it. I began to believe adamantly that if I loved a single human, had picked one out of the fold to be special, my entire mission was compromised and my powers would be lost. If I had been forced to choose, how could I, between a man and mankind? I knew it would kill me."

"That's so sad," Kagome sighed.

"And I regret thinking so. It has cursed my followers since—they have believed that simply falling in love weakens them, which was not my intention. And in the nature of the powers, since they believed it, their powers indeed did weaken. Our mind and feelings control the powers, not the other way around."

Kagome said nothing. She didn't really understand.

"I began to crop followers. I trained them in all of my arts. I taught mostly women, but a few men as well. Those men and their wives became the taijya that have kept my cave all these years in gratitude in their village. The women formed a sisterhood of miko, a chaste and holy order. I trained many to shoot with a bow and an arrow, which became a signature weapon of the warrior woman, since most did not have my strength to wield a sword like mine."

Midoriko pointed to the sword she used in combat with the youkai. It reminded Kagome of the Tetsusaiga.

"I taught them to fight, to pray, to protect, to love all, to love none, and even to dance, although that is not an art that is used any more among miko. Each pupil of mine began to gain special abilities. There have been dozens of miko, all of which have a unique power."

"What?" asked Kagome.

"I have several examples. The power that I failed to teach any girl was purification. It was how I killed the wolf; my touch dissipated the evil within it, destroying most of what constituted the beast. A wayward student I believe you know of, called Tsubaki, found she could control animals (she favored a snake) and sought with her power to make herself eternally beautiful. Kikyou, of whom you are reincarnated, had more skill with the bow than any miko, including myself. You inherited that skill from her. She, as my former protector, received new abilities in sensing my soul's presence and purification. That is why Tsubaki wanted to be my Shikon no Tama's protector—she hoped to gain my abilities—and why she hated and cursed Kikyou. You, again, inherited Kikyou's skills, given by me."

"So I have three special abilities," Kagome said, trying to concentrate and comprehend. "I have your purification, Kikyou's archery, and my own special power."

"Incorrect," said Midoriko. "You, Kagome, have no particular power bestowed upon you."

"Oh," said Kagome, more than a little disappointed.

"But I do not wish to discuss that now. May I continue?"

"Please," Kagome asked.

"I was the pedagogue for many years, until I turned twenty-five summers old. Then I met someone. He had the most pure aura I had ever felt. I felt so much of myself, my quest for good, for righteousness, and kindness in his soul. He had been a healer, strong and handsome. He made himself my servant and worshipped me. I was flattered, as I had always been by such actions. But as he continued to be in my life and presence, I felt stronger towards him. I began to grow happier when he visited. My heart skipped a beat when he walked into the room. My young girls often giggled that he was in love with me, which made me joyous, despite my teachings. I fell in love him."

"What was his name?" asked Kagome.

"His name was Deeseet. And I should have known," sighed Midoriko.

"Known what?"

"Nothing, pay it no mind. One day, while he accompanied me deep into the forest near the shrine, he confessed under a cherry tree he was in love with me and that he wished for me to marry him. He knew that I could not, I was a shrine maiden, but I consented. When I announced our engagement, my studying priestesses did not question me, although I knew they did not approve and the elders of the village whispered their prayers that the fall of Midoriko would be soft and that hell did not revenge itself upon me."

"How awful!" Kagome said, wondering if people would think that of her if she married Inuyasha. _As if Inuyasha would want to get married. He doesn't want to be tied down, remember? Maybe not even to Kikyou._ "And you were in love."

"On the day of our wedding, the groom was absent, and a horrible, large youkai appeared and began killing the guests. I attempted to subdue and kill him, but he was much too strong, and I felt my powers had weakened because of my love for the man who was not there. He killed the entire village. My failure weighed upon me like the heaviest boulder I had ever lifted and I did not want to live. The youkai captured me and dragged me into a cave. I had hoped he would rape and kill me, but what he did was much worse."

"What do you mean?" asked Kagome.

"He told me the truth for the first time in his life," said Midoriko. "He took the form of the man I loved, the good healer and my humble servant. He spoke words that verified that the youkai was that man. He had pretended to be good, disguised his aura, and compelled me in subtle ways to fall in love with him, but ultimately, to trust him. Every good thing inside me shattered. I was more alone than in had been in my entire life. My village, who worshipped me, was dead and gone. The one I loved had betrayed me. My powers and body failed me. He meant to kill me."

"Oh gods," Kagome whispered, holding her hand to her heart. She was crying, but no tears came down her face. "That's the most horrible thing I've ever heard."

"But I realized what he was. He was hundreds of dead youkai, molded into one fearsome form. He did not want to be powerful, as most youkai do. He did not want to eat me or suck out my soul. All he wanted was to be evil. He did not necessarily want to trouble himself with evil deeds (much like people want to be good but not be bothered to do good things). He had perfectly lied to me, betrayed me and crushed my spirit utterly. I saw what he was then. Simple evil and nothing more. That was when I remembered my mission—teaching and being worshipped was second to my mission. I had wanted to protect good and to love. So I summoned my powers in the last inch of my life and compelled my brokenness to mend and take up my forgotten sword. I fought the youkai. I fight the youkai."

Kagome's eyes shot open.

"_That-"_ She pointed to the youkai frozen in time that was locked with Midoriko. "_That's_ Deeseet?"

"Yes," whispered Midoriko. She motioned to the scene behind her. "This is what I am. I have no desire to move onto another world as long as the battle of good and evil superpowers exists. I fight the youkai because I hate him, and I love him, so it strengthens me."

"I don't understand," Kagome said.

"It matters not. What matters now, Kagome, is your strength. You are the final miko. There will be no other after you."

"The last miko?"

"Hie. You will complete my battle…and I will be free once more."

"What will happen to the Shikon no Tama?"

"It will disappear. It is not only my soul, but it is fused with his as well. I love Hate, he hates Love. It is a constant paradox. You are the only one free of this twisted maze of fate. I trust you to fight this last battle as my proxy."

"I don't know if I can."

"I do. And I am going to train you, much differently than how I trained the other miko. Only in your dreams, and you will not remember until it is the time of the struggle."

"What about Inuyasha?" asked Kagome suddenly. "It's always been that I watch out and he fights."

"The roles will be reversed. Inuyasha will protect you for now, but he must learn to trust you to fight this battle for yourself, and you will need to trust him more than ever to let you."

"I trust him with my life everyday."

"I do too. Do you think I would give you these violent dreams if he was not there for you?"

"What do you mean, Midoriko?"

"_You are still asleep and you cannot control your body. He protects you in the physical world. Go now; go back to Inuyasha. Wake up_." Midoriko faded out of Kagome's vision. The blue light subsided and it became only dark out.

"Huh?" asked Kagome, blinking. Where was she? What was real? What had just happened?

"She's coming to!" a voice exclaimed. Midoriko? No, it was a child's voice, very familiar. _Shippou? _she thought. _No, not Shippou_. _Souta!_

"Kagome! Get up! Open your eyes." It was a gruff male's voice, very familiar indeed.

"Inuyasha, give her some air." Instincts twisted inside Kagome. _Mom_? "It will be all right. I know you're worried, but you're here, and she's always made it through with you before."

"I still think this kelpie fin-made cream will do wonders," said another male voice. _Jii-chan._ Grandfather.

"Merooow." Something furry was weighing on her chest, but it was instantly lifted off.

"Gerroff her, cat!"

"Inu-no-nii-chan, be nice to Buyo, he's not hurting anything."

"Say something, Kagome. Say anything."

"Inu…yasha," Kagome said. The room went silent. "Is anyone there?"

"We're all here Kagome-"

"We were worried sick-"

"Almost called the hospital-"

"Souta saw you jump out of-" Kagome's head pounded with all the loud voices calling to her. She still hadn't opened her eyes. The pressure of the noise felt as though it were cracking her skull.

"SHUT UP! ALL OF YOU!" Inuyasha shouted over all of the Higurashis. They instantly were silent, and Kagome's head was relieved. "Listen closely, 'cause I'm going to say this only once. I am taking Kagome up to her room so she can rest. No one—not even the cat—can come in. I will watch over her and if she needs anything, I'll get it. If I don't know what she needs, I'm sure she'll tell me. If there's an emergency, I'll let you know. You'll see her in the morning. Is that clear to all of you?"

"Hie!" reported Souta with a squeak.

"Hie," said Jii-chan fearfully.

"Hie," repeated Mrs. Higurashi, relieved that her daughter was being so earnestly cared for. "Thank you Inuyasha, for regarding my daughter so highly."

"It's nothing," Inuyasha said roughly, but more quietly. "A 'good night' from Kagome." Kagome felt herself being scooped up in strong arms. She was jostled only slightly as she was being taken upstairs. He didn't even dump her on her bed, which he would have done if she was conscious.

It was nighttime already. _I must have slept through dinner_, Kagome thought. She began to open her eyes. It was dark in her room, except for Inuyasha's amber eyes and the light of the sliver moon. She rubbed her head and sat up.

"Inuyasha?" she asked.

"Kagome," he said, quickly beside her. "How do you feel? Does anything hurt?"

"No, just my head. Otherwise okay. Tell me what happened."

"Just get some rest, Kagome. I'll tell you later."

"Tell me now. Please," she begged. Inuyasha gave a deep, considering inhale before conceding.

"Fine. We were sitting in the tree and you fell asleep."

"Oh yeah. I remember that," Kagome said fondly.

"Anyway," Inuyasha said quickly. "You began mumbling. I heard 'okay I'll jump' come from you, and before I knew it, you'd leapt out of Goshinboku. I caught you before you hit the ground, but you had slept through all of it! I couldn't believe it. The kid was scared when he saw you. He told me to bring you in the house. You stayed on that couch for hours. You were mumbling a lot, I could only here small phrases. Something about 'sorry for breaking the shards', something about sadness…and you mentioned Kikyou."

"Kikyou?" asked Kagome quietly. "I don't remember my dream. Did I dream about Kikyou?"

"I don't know, I'm not in your head," snapped Inuyasha. "But then you started crying in your sleep. Your mom started freaking out big time. Your grandfather thought you were possessed. Souta wanted to call the doctor place…the hospital. It was weird. It looked like you were having some sort of fit and you wouldn't wake up. Then…you did," he finished lamely.

"Oh." Kagome tried to digest this. Having a fit…crying in sleep…hospital…Kikyou. She didn't want to think about it. Thinking about thinking about it made her want to throw up. She made a quick dash for the bathroom.

"Kagome? Kagome, what-? Oh," said Inuyasha as he saw her upchuck into the toilet. "That's disgusting. Wench can't even hold down her food."

"Uggghhh," she groaned and washed out her mouth. _Don't think about dream. Concentrate on Inuyasha._ It was the nearest thing of interest to her and it would keep her mind off of what made her sick. She started staring at him. She let her eyes roam over his silver-white hair and cute dog ears. She gazed at his strong face structure and amber eyes.

"Why are you looking at me like that, baka?" he asked rudely, shifting his eyes away.

"Nothing," she sighed imperiously.

She stalked past him out of the bathroom and back into her room. She was too hot to sleep under her bedspread, so she tried to lie on top of them, but was too cold. There was no happy medium. Her mind wandered but she couldn't get to sleep. Inuyasha came in after her and lied on his cot, watching her unblinkingly. It would be kind of unnerving if she wasn't used to it.

"Inuyasha, I can't sleep," she whined.

"Why not?" he asked.

"I just can't, okay?" she said. "I…I…want…" She stammered from embarrassment, trying to think of the words to say to the harsh hanyou.

"Say it, wench, before I have to throttle it out of you," he said with ease.

"I want you to hold me like you did before," she said in a high, scared voice. "Please?"

"What?" he asked sharply.

"Like you did in the tree."

"W-why would I do a dumb thing like that?" he asked.

"I'm scared," Kagome admitted. "I don't want to sleep walk again. I know if I fall asleep I'll dream and I don't want to dream. So please…hold me tonight so I don't. I don't want to be alone."

Inuyasha didn't question her definition of alone being 'not within two feet', since he was already in the room. He simply got up and sat on her bed, unsure of what to do next. Kagome lied down on her side on her bed. Inuyasha positioned himself behind her, slipping his arm under hers, holding her down. She felt his chest against her back.

Again, almost instantaneously, Kagome relaxed her shoulders. The cold she felt on top of the covers and the overbearing heat she felt under them was equalized, and she was comforted by his heat. There was something much more close about them now, lying together in the dark like this. A song seemed to play from the rhythm of their breathing, like an unheard violin singing. _I love you_, Kagome thought, wondering if he could hear her thoughts. _You're my best friend, Inuyasha. I don't know how I could live without you. It hurts so much sometimes I can't breathe when I think about you and everything you are to me. I…_ her thoughts dissipated as she rolled over and planted her face into his chest, deeply smelling his robes. Her sense of smell was bad even for a human's, but she loved his scent of dog, wilderness and fire. He tensed—he was really tense. Was he scared of her? She reached up with her free arm and gently began to stroke his right ear.

"None of that," Inuyasha scolded, twitching his ear violently enough that it left her grasp. "You're trying to sleep, remember?"

"You're all tense. If you don't relax, I don't sleep. Simple as that."

"Keh. Whatever." She touched his ear again, but this time he let it droop into her palm. Her fingertips did the work of softly petting the edges, once in a while grazing the fine hairs lightly. His muscles loosened and he was asleep faster than she was. _You big puppy_, Kagome thought fondly.

She tucked her arm back to her chest and let herself drift off in the Kagome-sized cushion of his body.

"_Kagome_," she could hear Midoriko's voice. "_It's time to begin._"

"Begin what?" Kagome asked. Midoriko had materialized before her in the dream, the blue lights shining and reverberating through her skull.

"_Begin your training._"

"Oh, right. For the final battle."

"_I will not teach your first lesson. Another miko—one of the greatest—will teach you her secret."_

"I thought I had no special powers!"

"_None of your own. I believe you have seen the likeness of Inuyasha's mother before…_"

"A mother ghost impersonated her," Kagome agreed.

"_Then meet Izayoi, far wiser than I, my greatest pupil." _Midoriku stepped aside. The apparition that Kagome had seen long ago materialized. Izayoi was as Kagome had remembered, clothed in her simple robes.

"_Kagome_," Izayoi said. "_I have longed to meet you. Come, pray with me, and I will show you many things. You will begin to see."_

Kagome knelt beside the miko.

---

If you read it, please review it. Thanks!

-Red Snowsled :)


	8. 8 A Dream Interlude Part One

Chapter 8 **An Interlude**

---

Inutaisho had begun courting the Inu nobility of his Western Lands at the tender age of one hundred, but none were suited to him. Beauty fell on blind eyes and sweet whispers on deaf ears, although they were the keenest in the world. He was an island of power and although he had ingrained compassion into his way of life and very soul, he could not feel the sort of love that was demanded in a mating ritual. His most trusted advisers—curiously, a flea youkai, a sword smith and a sealing demon—had insisted to him that since he was a king, an Inu god, there was really no reason to mate for love. Inutaisho had proclaimed he found no female suited to him, and his word was law. No one questioned whether he was truly lonely, an iceberg of supremacy that had a sort of longing that was cold and dead, never insistent and never desperate.

Centuries later an evil hanyou called Naraku would employ very similar methods to create his offspring as Inutaisho had used to create his firstborn, Sesshoumaru.

Sesshoumaru had been born from one of his four fangs of his first set of teeth. Humans called them "baby teeth" although he was hardly an infant at eight hundred when he lost them. Two others had become swords of astonishing power—the Sou'unga and the Tensaiga. The fourth of them would be used later, in sealing a demon called Ryuokotsusei. When he had decided to make a third sword, the Tetsusaiga, he cracked his left fang off to create it, but these events had not happened yet.

Sesshoumaru had never had a childhood and had no mother. He was born looking as though he were the human age of eleven, about eighty years for youkai.

"Why am I, Father?" asked Sesshoumaru. Those were his first words after being unnaturally born. He didn't ask who he was (he seemed to know that already), or what he was (he seemed to know that too), or how he was (he didn't care at all). He stood, wet, and was quickly clothed by castle attendants standing by. Sesshoumaru took no notice of them, only of Inutaisho. Sesshoumaru gazed in pure lust over the Sou'unga and the Tensaiga. The king nodded to the attendants to leave, which they did so with haste.

"You are my eldest and only, for now," said Inutaisho, examining the young man. There was no child-like innocence in him, only a cold and calm interest for answers. "Everything I have conquered will be yours one day when I have died. You are Sesshoumaru, an Inu youkai of the West."

"What would you have me do?" asked Sesshoumaru, his gaze lifting up into his father's eyes. There was nothing there but an empty desire for power that Inutaisho was slightly afraid of.

"You will begin your training this first year of your life upon the High Mountain." Father and son looked out the window of the castle to a mountain far away "On your way there, you will find a toad youkai. He will become your eternal vassal once he has sworn his loyalty to you."

"I will go today," said Sesshoumaru. He did not make any parting or motion of any kind to his Father or any of the castle attendants. He simply walked out of the chamber and out of the castle.

"Very well," said Inutaisho, even in his old age surprised by the quiet ambition of his spawn. He saw a ball of light traveling across the ground, making its way to the mountain.

---

The Four Lessons of the Mountain was a tradition among the crown royalty of the Inu line for millennia. The Lesson took twenty-five years each, all spent in a crouched, meditative position inside of a cave at the summit. They were teachings for battle and for one's conduct as a monarch.

_Patience_ was the first lesson. The entire one hundred years was a test of patience. To make time seem as though it were an illusion, when the second would only creep as though they were inchworms, or when a year or two went by without notice, was a difficult task. To lure an opponent took much patience. To accept things that could not be changed and to make changes when one could, and deciding between, were all slow and trying things.

_Endurance _was next. It was a much better thing in battles to bear an attack rather than to dodge it. It was a powerful tactic and exhibited the durability of an opponent. It went hand-in-hand with patience. Many battles were just means of waiting until an opponent's strength was spent in futility of an attack, then striking him down. To be able to bear pain was a virtue.

_Strength,_ for whatever reason, was the easiest to grasp. It was a very physical thing, learning to wield a sword most cleverly, to build up the muscle of a youkai to fifty times greater than the weak youkai. Swiftness and sharpness were also of utmost importance. He learned quickly that he was to fight his battles in human-like form. His true inu form, when used in battle, only made a show of his desperation and inabilities as a warrior.

_Compassion_ was the final lesson. Sesshoumaru had completed seventy-five years of training and decided that the final lesson had no worth for him. He left the cave, one of the strongest youkai in the world.

---

While Sesshoumaru trained, Inutaisho roamed the lands as a lone hunter, stalking and killing youkai that plagued the lands of humans. His own people did not know his penchant for it, almost as though it were a hobby. It was right for him to protect humans, he knew so in his heart. After his nine hundred years of learning, roaming lands far beyond Japan, and seeking enlightenment in many places, he decided to trust his heart in all matters and listen to the wisdom of the weak.

He had come upon one of the most idyllic settings in his western territory. It was a feudal town in the mountains, overlooking the sparkling sea. He arrived at dawn in the springtime, while the flowering trees had buds and the world was waking once again.

A sea serpent had been destroying fishermen's boats; Inutaisho made short work of it, although he had underestimated his opponent. He injured his arm, but not badly. He would need a night's rest to heal it before he left the quiet village. He sought sanctuary at the shrine in the middle of the town.

A white, silk path led into the shrine. It was very well-kept for a shrine, he noticed. It was decorated with many jewels. He could see a tower was the focal point of the shrine, which was unusual. He climbed the tower, walking the silk path up.

He was astonished to find a young woman of about fifteen meditating at the window as the dawn light shone through. It had probably just been the moment, with the soft light and the white silk that clothed the girl, but he had been captivated fleetingly by her beauty.

"Come," she invited. "Pray with me, great one." She extended her small hand to the stranger. He took it without question and knelt beside her. His blood dripped upon the silk. For once in his life, he felt weak and dirty in comparison to another. A human, no less! But she turned and faced him. Her hand gently touched his rough, permanently scarred face. He had the appearance of a thirty-year-old human, perhaps thirty-five.

In the instant she touched him, he felt his soul exploding inside him. This was not an innocent and naïve girl. She was only fifteen, but he felt her wisdom and gentleness surpass him by an infinite amount of years. She was a miko, he discovered. He sensed her power to be like a great and tumultuous army of samurai that waited for nothing inside a castle keep. She knew of her own power and chose not to use it.

"Izayoi," he breathed out, overwhelmed by her. Her name was Izayoi. He had never felt this way at any time in his life. He had controlled his first steps, his first words, his lessons in the mountains. At this time he felt very small and completely at the mercy of this miko, but he did not fear her.

"I thank you, Lord Inutaisho," Izayoi said. Her voice was like a cooling summer rain. "You have rid us of a youkai that has brought us sadness."

"The youkai has taken a few of your village men," said Inutaisho consolingly.

"What has been given has been taken away. A reminder that we do not own ourselves, we are only lent. Even great kings of youkai such as yourself are not your own masters."

"You could become the most powerful miko in the land," said Inutaisho. "Why do you not develop your powers?"

"What good is it to seek more power? I trust the gods above me, as they trust me to do my part. You seek healing, do you not?" she asked. She soothingly—the most tender touch he had ever felt—placed her hands upon his wound. In a moment, she had healed the wound completely. "I give what is sought of me; gods will it, and nothing more. I will give you anything you seek."

He felt his heart swelling within his chest.

"I would seek your love," he said, surprised at the anxiety of his confession. He could not ever remember having this sick nervousness in his stomach and fear of her rejection. "But I would not ask it of you, holy miko."

"I would give it to you," the miko replied sagely. She smiled, and her eyes seemed to shine like dove's tears. "But I would not force it upon you, Inutaisho."

"Never!" he gasped, gripping her small hand, but releasing, for fear of crushing her. "Will you make love to me this night, Izayoi? Will you be my mate?"

"It is before our time," sighed Izayoi.

"Is not time relative?" he asked, staring intently into her face. "Please tell me time is relative, wise one, or my love for you will be nothing more than a dream."

"It is," Izayoi whispered in his ear, edging closer to him. "I am only fifteen, and you have lived over ten full lives of men; yet I adore you, knowing our souls are both infinitely entwined. Time has no meaning, but events are sequential…events must occur before we are one, my lord. Soon my father's kingdom will fall, in three year's time. Come for me the night before the siege, and make no other visit before. We will be wed that night."

"You can see what is to come?" he asked, astonished.

"What has passed will come…what will pass has already happened. The only matter is seeing it as such," she said enigmatically. Inutaisho pondered her words but could not figure out their meaning.

"I will come for you, beloved Izayoi," he said huskily. He kissed her deeply, and he felt her weak body melt under his desire. "Be safe." He released her hand. As he walked away, Izayoi realized he had placed ring with a stone shaped like a fang on her intended finger, sealing their betrothal.

"Izayoi?" asked the young guard outside. He came in, and his eyes widened at the blood upon the silk. "Izayoi, what has transpired here?"

"Fate, Takemaru," Izayoi replied. "Only fate transpires."

"Ever the cryptic," he said fondly. He looked as though he would like to stroke her hair, but thought better of it. "Why is there blood on the sacred silk?"

"It is the wine of my love," Izayoi replied.

"Love?" asked Takemaru fearfully. "Are you…are you yet chaste?"

"Yes," giggled Izayoi. "But I am engaged to be married." She showed him the ring.

"It is blasphemy!" Takemaru screamed, knocking over a statue in sudden fury. "You are the Holy Miko! You bring your house honor in this way…your father's fortresses remain safe only because you are the chaste and pure virgin goddess of the West! They do not attack your purity. If you go through with this, Izayoi, you endanger this whole village!"

"This is the way it was meant to be, Takemaru. I am to be the wife of Inutaisho." Izayoi looked out the window.

"Inu…taisho…" whispered Takemaru. "You do this for a filthy _youkai_? Are you yet Izayoi, the priestess, the noble daughter of our Lord?"

"I have finally met my fiancé in this lifetime. Scores of men have not been so lucky to find the one their souls have been created for to love."

"At what expense?" Takemaru whispered. "Your father's men will die defending this castle needlessly."

"All life ends at one point," Izayoi replied. "Our only regret should be that we are sad and linger. We forget that we are reincarnated and become happy once again."

"You speak nonsense. That Inu filth has corrupted you. I will never let him touch you again," Takemaru swore.

"Do not concern yourself, friend. Upon my wedding night you will have other things to attend to." Izayoi stood from her prayer spot before the window. The sun was now completely risen and blindingly garish. She turned her back on the samurai and walked slowly and stately down the tower on her walk of white silk.

---

Inutaisho felt deliriously happy for the remainder of spring. He would not see Izayoi for three years, however. He spent many hours in fields of wild flowers, dreaming about how beautiful she would become. How silly he was, the king of great youkai, thinking of a girl that would be alive and perish before his life was even half over.

He remembered miko powers were subject to diminishing upon the act of physical love. He would need a sort of ultimate power to protect her. His physical body was enough for men, but what of youkai? His enemies would try anything to get to her if they believed Izayoi was the weakness of Inutaisho. He broke his left fang, the largest of his second set of teeth, and brought it before his adviser, the sword smith Totosai. The master crafted Inutaisho's final and favorite sword, the Tetsusaiga, the greatest sword of the living world. _This is Izayoi's sword. It will be hers and my heir's, _he thought.

The youkai blinked and it was the end of summer. He had spent the remainder of the seasons outside of the village, protecting it from any sort of attack, not that there were many at all. He was interrupted in his sweet existence by his unnaturally born son, Sesshoumaru.

Inutaisho stood with his back to the world, staring out at the water. He had sensed the boy—no, Sesshoumaru was a man now—from many miles away. His power radiated like a great Sun traversing the earth. Inutaisho wondered if one day he would battle to the death with his son, for he knew that his offspring had gained no warmth during his training.

"You are premature, Sesshoumaru," Inutaisho said quietly. Although Sesshoumaru stood a great distance away, he heard his father's words perfectly. "Why have you not completed your training? You still must serve twenty-five years to learn compassion."

"I will not spend another minute learning weakness," Sesshoumaru announced. "I have observed you, father. This compassion you so highly prize has left you a puppet of a human woman. You have not been to your castle in a decade. Has my great warrior father succumbed to sentimentality?"

"Never," Inutaisho swore. "I have found my mate. I created you in my despair that I would not find her, and I believe that is why you lack compassion…it is a reflection of my own coldness. I need not have created you now, for I will bear an heir this decade. However, I do not regret your existence."

"I see," Sesshoumaru ceded. "The fact aside that this heir you will have will be a half-blood, do you revoke my claim to your lands upon your death?"

"Your narrow-mindedness sickens me," Inutaisho sighed. "Is conquest your path?"

"Hie, Father."

"Then I will not revoke it. Sesshoumaru is my first-born and it is only right he should become Lord of the Western Lands. But my second-born will have a far greater destiny than the petty skirmishes of a war hawk."

"As you wish. I have no further business with you, father." Sesshoumaru turned and began to walk away. Inutaisho felt his presence pause before disappearing. "That new sword you wield is not becoming of you."

"Are you so ignorant that you do not recognize the power of this Tetsusaiga?" asked Inutaisho. He drew the sword and let it transform in his hands. Sesshoumaru's eyes widened slightly. "It is the final sword of mine. Do not concern yourself with it, Sesshoumaru. It was not meant for you."

"When you are dead, father. That is when it will be mine. I will wield it and conquer yours and my enemies. I will accomplish what you have not; I will be the Lord of this world."

_Is there nothing in this world that is good to you, Sesshoumaru_? he thought. _Why do you want it if there is nothing in it that you love? Is nothing sacred or worth protecting?_

---

It was midday, the day of her secret wedding. Today was the day, Izayoi could feel it. Fate compelled her this day to appear before her father.

Her servants lay the white silk road before her. As the Holy Miko, she was not allowed to let her feet touch the ground and soil them on the common ground. She placidly walked upon the silk that climbed the castle steps. She entered and walked before her father, the Lord of the village.

"Izayoi, Miko above all others," he greeted her. "Have you had a vision?"

"I have, father. I want to tell you to fortify this village. In two days we will be attacked by an army of samurai."

Gasps rang out in the court. Her father pondered her words and nodded.

"It will be done. Many thanks to this daughter who is gifted with foresight." Izayoi bowed and left the castle, walking back to the shrine. Her servants left to do their daily duties. Takemaru had left to help the men fortify the village. After years of ease and protection, they had their work cut out for them to prepare for battle in a day.

Izayoi went to the altar and called upon a man praying there.

"Houshi-sama."

"Yes, Izayoi-sama, how may I be of service?" he asked, bowing before her.

"I require your services tonight."

"Oh? For what reason?"

"I will be married tonight, Holy Monk."

"M-Married!" stammered the monk, looking fearfully at her. "It's forbidden, milady! How can you say such a thing? Who would dare marry you?"

"Have no fear, houshi," she said, touching his face. She saw his eyes instantly react with calmness to her touch. "It was meant to be this way. Please meet me in the Sunset Garden at dusk. My husband will be waiting there." The monk nodded and briskly walked back to his cloister.

She retreated to her tower and selected her most formal kimono. It was beautiful and white, like most of the garments she owned, like most of the things she was surrounded with night and day. By the time the servants had dressed her after she called for them and after when she sent the away, it was almost sunset.

She walked down the path that led outside. He waited for her, along with the lone monk as their witness.

---

After the brief ceremony, Inutaisho carried her away into the forest, high upon the mountain. He had prepared a primitive bridal bed of soft moss and grass near a waterfall, far away from the village.

"We are not yet mates, by youkai standards," said Inutaisho, grasping her hand after he set her feet upon the ground. "Our marriage must be consummated." He felt his desire growing deep in his stomach. He didn't know how much longer he could contain it. Three years of longing had did this to him.

"I am ready," she whispered. "My body calls for you, as I can hear yours call for me." She loosened the ties on her kimono and let it fall to the ground. She pressed her body close to her new husband.

"I know that it is not important, by any standards. But you are the most lovely creature I have ever seen upon this Earth."

Izayoi smiled and embraced him.

"This will be the last time we meet like this," she said to him as he kissed her neck slowly, prolonging his bliss. "This is the last time we shall embrace each other in this lifetime. When you see me again it will not be under these perfect circumstances."

He did not question her.

"Then this time it will be magnificent." His armor had been shed and his hands couldn't hold her close enough to him.

"After tonight, come for me again in nine new moons. When it falls upon the ninth—and it will be earlier than expected, for the earth shall come in between the sun and moon—that is night you shall come for me again. It will be the last time you see me."

"Nonsense," he whispered back to her, thrusting his nose into her soft curtains of black hair. His Inu senses were bombarded with her sweetness. "I will not leave you alone for so long because you are my mate."

"Tomorrow's dawn will spirit you away from me, dearest," she sighed. "I will mourn your absence. Do not forget. The ninth new moon."

Once again, his mouth found hers, and they spoke no more.

---

Inutaisho awoke to the best morning he could have ever received. The mating desire that had been stored up in him for centuries had exhausted itself in one night. His woman and mate lied next to him under his robe, sleeping still, content and satisfied. Nothing could have made him happier. He stroked her soft skin, so warm to the touch. He no longer felt as though he were alone.

"Master Inutaisho!" Myouga the flea buzzed quietly. "Lord!"

"Myouga?" Inutaisho replied in a low voice. "This isn't the best moment."

"I apologize deeply, milord, but I have been searching for you for months. A youkai has surfaced in your lands."

"What is the nature of this youkai?"

"He is a dragon called Ryuokotsusei. He is threatening the human villages and youkai settlements. Some of your people have tried to fight him, but all have perished. They call for the power of your Tetsusaiga to deliver them from this demon. You are needed back home, master."

"I have not been for many years. Can Sesshoumaru not slay this youkai?"

"He refuses to try. He says it is a waste of his time. I believe the people of your kingdom need a show of faith that you are still their king and protector. Their confidence in you wanes."

"Hie," Inutaisho nodded solemnly. "Myouga. Stay with Izayoi until I return. However, if anything should happen, seek me out so that I might protect her." He cast a mournful look at his beautiful young wife. It pained him to leave their cozy woodland bed. He would rather have made love to her twice again that day and found a place to build themselves a new home, a place far away from warring castles and expectations, where they could simply be a union of man and woman without interference. "Sleep well, my love. You are safe in this forest." He created a barrier around Izayoi. It would follow her for the rest of the day when she made it back safely to the village.

He dressed and armed himself once more and took off at a swift pace, bounding off the sides of mountains back into the heart of his lands. The best he could do now was to slay the youkai quickly and return to her.

---

Please Review!

Thank you. Red Snowlsed.


	9. 9 A Dream Interlude Part Two

Chapter 9 (Interlude Part 2)

--

Izayoi knew that her husband was gone before she opened her eyes. She rose and clothed herself once again in the outer robe he had left to her. She could feel his presence weakly all around her—a barrier had been erected around her. She gathered her bridal kimono and walked slowly back to the village. The walk gave her time to wonder where he was. No vision came to her regarding his whereabouts, but she knew it had been urgent. He would not have left her otherwise. She said a prayer for her lord before coming into the village.

The villagers stared at her. Izayoi realized it was the first time she had walked upon the actual ground. This is what dirt felt like under her feet, in her finger nails, in the cracks and crevices of her flesh. Her hair was full of burrs and moss from the forest bed. They _knew _what she had done—they had done it themselves in moments of passion after a harvest moon celebration or on a mutual day off from working. She did not let the shame touch her. Her powers were gone, but she still had her wisdom and most of her foresight, which would be gone in due time. She knew that her love was sanctified. The gray fang that had been around her finger for three years had turned to pure ivory.

She went to the temple shrine. There she changed into her usual silk garments, but instead chose red ones, the ones she had been given but never worn.

Word traveled quickly around the village. She heard them in her tower from the market. The villagers knew of actions. She heard the shrine maidens whispering as she went about leading prayers and blessing pilgrims.

Takemaru was there in the evening. He had grown much stronger in the last three years and had grown a beard, but preferred to shave it off.

"I have heard things, Izayoi," Takemaru said uncomfortably. "I heard you are no longer a virgin. You walked off the path of silk and came sullied from the forest."

"Everything you heard is true," said Izayoi without remorse. "I would not deny to anyone I have a husband and am carrying his child."

"You! You!" Takemaru gasped for breath. "The inu filth that bled upon the silk those years ago! He has diseased you with his seed. He raped you, did he not?"

"No."

"Izayoi, how—_you_!" he exclaimed. "I have loved you and known you for so many years… I cannot believe it."

"I am sorry for you feelings, Takemaru. I have always appreciated your friendship. In my days of youth you played with me when no others would dare. You have guarded my door faithfully. However, your anger is misguided and needless. Our ancestors are bones and dust in wind, and that is what we shall become as well. We shall both die in less than a year."

"Izayoi," moaned Takemaru. Tears streamed down his face. "I will hear no more. I am imprisoning you until further notice. This is for your own protection."

"Do as you see fit, good Takemaru," she said with sadness on her face. "When he comes he will not forgive you."

"I would die protecting you."

"Hie," agreed Izayoi. "And you shall." Takemaru sighed and it felt as though his lungs were heaving.

"At least I know fate. Now come with me. I will take you to the dungeon. Your father has given his consent. You have greatly shamed him."

"I am sorry for his regret. I regret everyone's sorrows. But I do not rebuke my actions. I wish you luck in battle tonight."

"Tonight?"

"Yes. They come tonight."

--

Izayoi spent the night in her cell. Some had called to her defense; although she was no longer chaste, she was still innocent. Her maidens visited her and brought her cloth to sleep upon and water to wash with. She longed for her strong Inutaisho to hold her that night. She stroked her belly and knew what was growing inside of her at that moment.

Even at her low depths below the fortress, she heard the screams of the dying and the sick clashing sounds of flesh and blades, armor and arrows. She could not sleep that night.

Takemaru came at dawn badly wounded. The blood on his hands greased the bars of the cell as he tried to clutch them to see Izayoi.

"Are you well and unharmed?"

"Hie," she replied.

"Our enemy has been defeated," he said with a choked breath. "But at great cost. Your father is dead. All of the women have been killed or stolen, including your priestesses. The children were sent into the forest to escape, gods help them and have mercy. The village men have been murdered. Only a handful of your father's men remain. I have inherited his seat, seeing as your brothers and sisters are dead."

Izayoi said a quiet prayer for them.

"I have decided to move who is left to your uncle's castle in the forests after the dead are buried. If another attack is to come, we cannot conceal it. And none of the men want to linger. The streets of the market are paved in flesh and blood."

"It is a wise decision."

"And do you still defend yours? Knowing what has transpired?"

"Yes," she whispered.

"Selfish bitch!" Takemaru screamed, his tears flying wildly. He took his katana and slashed it against the bars of the cell, striking it over and over. Izayoi flinched at him, holding her arm up to guard her face. The sound of slamming metal reverberated gratingly and made her sick. "Your _father_! Your _brothers_! Everyone is gone! There is nothing left! And it is _your fault_!"

"Did I slay these people?" she asked. "Is there blood on my hands, Takemaru?" She held them up. They were pure and white.

Takemaru was breathing heavily from his exertion. He blinked several times.

"Of—of course not, Izayoi. You did not," he said. "Forgive me for my outburst. You even forewarned us. I still am fond of you. I cannot imagine myself otherwise."

"Your passion is great for the sanctity of life, Takemaru. That is truly a gift. But do not forget that we do not linger on this Earth. We are pilgrims from the world of the dead, and we return eventually thus."

"Be ready," he grumbled. "We move out tomorrow."

--

Ryukotsusei had evaded Inutaisho for a month. Inutaisho had encountered various strong youkai that he had struggled to kill, but most committed suicide before dying at his hand. All of them praised their leader, the dragon youkai that they insisted was a far greater king than this inu youkai.

Inutaisho was closer with every kill he made. Ryukotsusei was not in his province. He had to leave Izayoi far behind.

"I'm sorry," he whispered on the wind, hoping the message would somehow be carried to her. "You knew this would happen. I will not forget. The ninth new moon. Ryukotsusei will be dead by then, I swear it, Izayoi."

--

Takemaru had disgust in his eyes every time he looked upon Izayoi's growing belly. She sighed often and gazed out the window of the chamber he had had her confined to. He visited her daily. By then, Izayoi's foresight had gone. She was useless to her uncle to predict attacks. Her uncle had made it clear he blamed her for his brother's and nephew's deaths and that she was not welcome in his fortress after she had given birth. After that, she would have to leave and seek a new life with her half-breed child.

"Where is your _husband_?" Takemaru asked her rudely. He often emphasized the word, not believing any civil ceremony of marriage was possible for a youkai. "Does he not love you? Is that why he has abandoned you?"

"He has business," she said absently. She had never wished for powers before, but then, she wished a tiny bit she could see what he was doing, if he was safe or not.

"Probably another woman. Wait, he is an inu, correct? He probably has a bitch now." He liked how delicious the word sounded.

"There is no one else," said Izayoi with certainty. "Inu youkai mate for life. If he had despised me when we mated, he would still remain faithful to me throughout his long life. They do not share human taste for sinful unions." She stared as Takemaru felt the shame of his species.

"He is still afraid," Takemaru challenged. "If he is such a great youkai, as you say, why has he not tried to take you back? It is because he sees our fortifications. There is no way a single being could take on our army plus your uncle's."

"My lord fears nothing. I have told him not to come until the birth of the child. When he comes, he will slaughter you all if you are in his way."

"You worship of him deludes you."

"You have far too much faith in your abilities."

Takemaru left as disgusted as he came.

--

Ryukotsusei had strung along Inutaisho to the farthest reaches of Japan from his territory. Inutaisho had cornered him in a dry creek bed. Inutaisho was tired from killing the legion of twelve hundred demons that Ryukotsusei had sent. It had taken many Kaze no Kizu attacks and patience.

The duel of the dragon and the inu lasted over five days. Inutaisho kept an eye on the moon—it had been eight new moons so far, and the ninth would be early. _A lunar eclipse,_ thought Inutaisho. Inutaisho's wounds increased and mounted, as did his fatigue. He had a gaping chest wound which healed over the coarse of battle. He had to trick Ryukotsusei if he wanted to get to Izayoi in time.

He faked a blunder of dropping the Tetsusaiga and let Ryukotsusei strike his left arm. He gritted his teeth with pain and brought the Tetsusaiga up under one of the dragon's scales in his chest, flicking it off.

"Hardly a killing blow," taunted Ryukotsusei, delighted he had finally gotten a solid hit. Inutaisho quickly pulled his last baby tooth out of his waist pouch without the dragon seeing. Inutaisho leapt and bounded off the rocks in the creek bed, dodging the blows of the dragon.

He dropped the Tetsusaiga, and another blow came to his left arm, this time puncturing it. Blood flowed down in copious amounts. In Inutaisho's right hand, his fang transformed into a large, dagger-like weapon. It glowed hot white as he thrust it into the dragon's heart where the scale had protected it. Inutaisho leapt high and pinned him against the wall of the mountain they fought near.

Ryukotsusei screamed as his body froze, sealed to the side of the mountain.

Panting, Inutaisho wandered to the sea. He must have been deep to the north. The snow fell around him, but he felt no pain or cold. He was exhausted. He stared out and searched for the moon. There was none. He needed to leave. He had kept his promise.

"Milord, you're alive!" exclaimed Myouga, his flea-vassal. "And I have news."

"Say it quickly."

"Yes, milord. Your wife has given birth to an infant male."

"That is wonderful news."

"However, she has been slain by her guard. She has only just died, however; I used a very ancient magic to find you so quickly." _Monstrous_, thought Inutaisho, his blood boiling.

"Are you going, father?" asked Sesshoumaru. Myouga vanished. The son came from behind and surveyed his father's wounds of battle. The blood ran down his arm and stained the snow. Inutaisho did not turn to him.

"Are you going to stop me, Sesshoumaru?" asked Inutaisho.

"I'm not going to stop you. However, I would like the fangs, Sou'unga and Tetsusaiga, to be given unto me." Inutaisho knew somehow that Sesshoumaru had found out the powers of the Tensaiga and no longer desired it.

"If I say I won't give them to you…would you kill your own father?" asked Inutaisho. He sighed and let the wind whip around him. "Do you desire power that much? Why do you seek power?"

"I must travel the path of conquest. Power is necessary in order to walk that path," Sesshoumaru stated simply, as though explaining it to an imbecile.

"Conquest, _kah_?" asked Inutaisho, bowing his head slightly in shame. "Sesshoumaru, is there anything you wish to protect?"

"Something to protect?" asked Sesshoumaru. "I have no need to pursue such an endeavor."

Inutaisho had run out of time. He transformed into his true form in the moonlight. That moon would be dark by the time he had covered the hundreds of miles it took to get to his love. He ran and flew through the air, rushing away from his son to his wife. Had she felt pain? He could not stand the thought of it.

"It's no use! It's too soon. Please reconsider!" Myouga begged as soon as they were in the air. He had hidden himself in his lord's tresses of silver hair. "Your wounds from fight Ryukotsusei haven't healed yet."

"I cannot let her die like that," promised Inutaisho.

"But…" whined Myouga.

"Besides, I don't have much time as it is."

"Inutaisho-sama!" cried Myouga.

The village was deserted when he arrived. He followed the near-dead scent of men to another fortress, deep in the forest. Myouga had gone again. Inutaisho said a prayer of thanks for him.

A hundred men or more waited for him at the keep. He did not want to kill anymore. He was tired. He wanted to take Izayoi and leave.

He transformed back into his human-like form and drew the Tetsusaiga.

_Izayoi. I am coming for you now._

_--_

"Who is it?" Izayoi called out. She was exhausted from her labor. There was no midwife. She had been scared and alone and very lucky that she and the baby were both safe.

"Setsuna no Takemaru," announced her guard. He stood just outside the curtain beside her birthing cubicle.

"Takemaru?" Izayoi sighed. "Thank goodness. Please take everyone and leave immediately. He will not forgive you for being here."

"Izayoi-sama. I have always been fond of you." Takemaru confessed. "Even if your heart has been stolen by a mononoke." She saw the spearhead through the curtain and screamed.

"My feelings will never change," he said quietly and left.

As Izayoi's life faded away, the moon became dark and her candle went out.

--

"KAZE NO KIZU!" Inutaisho shouted into the night, swinging the Tetsusaiga expertly. Raw blades of power ripped across the terrain and into the fortress. A torrent of arrows was upon him.

Four stuck into his chest and arms. He ignored them and continued to fight. The blast had thrown most of the men out of the way and more ran away in fear. He was sure some were still alive.

"Izayoi! Izayoi!" Inutaisho called. He looked at the buildings. She must have been inside one of them. A samurai appeared before him.

"You're finally here, mononoke," said Takemaru. How he had waited for this…the night he would kill the one that had indirectly destroyed his village and infected his love. "However, you're a little too late."

"What?" asked Inutaisho gruffly. He didn't want to stand and deal with humans.

"Izayoi-sama has been sent to a place where even you cannot reach her. I sent her there myself." Inutaisho felt his hate swell. This was the guard who had betrayed Izayoi.

"You damn-" he screamed, cutting himself off by charging at the traitor. The samurai drew his sword and ran at him as well. As they passed, Inutaisho cut off the guard's arm and sprinted into the building.

"Burn everything down! Both the mononoke and the fortress!" Takemaru ordered. Fire arrows were lit and fired at the building. Time was running out. Inutaisho felt the flames lick around him, spreading through the boards. He checked every room he saw until he burst into the right room.

"Izayoi!" he called. His heart froze at the cries of an infant coming from a flaming cubicle in the center of the room. Without further invitation he overturned the cubicle and saw the lifeless body of his miko. "Izayoi!"

It was not too late. There were the emissaries of the netherworld crawling over her body. He drew Tensaiga and compelled it to convulse with power.

"Tensaiga, I beg of you," he whispered a prayer. He cut the little demons and they dissipated. She gasped and drew breath. His frozen heart melted its tension. He withdrew the Robe of the Firerat from a pocket in his armor. He threw it around his wife to protect her from the flames. Izayoi cradled her baby and gasped when she saw a bloody Takemaru breathing heavily with hate.

Inutaisho drew Sou'unga.

"If I take you down with me, I'll have no regrets," Takemaru hissed. "I'll take you down to hell."

"You must live," said Inutaisho to Izayoi. He did not turn to her, but grasped his sword more tightly, despite the biting pain from the arrows. He knew he would not outlive this night, the birthday of his second son.

"What about you…?" she asked. He smiled despite himself. She had forgotten her death and life words for him.

"Inuyasha."

"What?" Takemaru asked, drawing his sword with his hand that was not cut off.

"The child's name. That child's name is Inuyasha!"

"Inuyasha," whispered Izayoi, loving the name and child. Both were gifts from her husband.

"Now, go!" he commanded her. She didn't want to leave him, but there was nothing she could do.

"Hie," she cried quietly. She ran in the other direction. An opening existed where the wall had collapsed. She ran through it as Inutaisho gathered his power to take down Takemaru. She ran far away, burning her feet on the ashes, then freezing them in the snow as she ran into the dark and embracing forest, crying all the while for her dying husband.

_Izayoi…you must live. You must stay alive. Along with Inuyasha…_

_--_

Thanks for all your reviews! Sorry for the delay in updating.


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